The Role of the Environment (Geography) in the Emergence of the Egypti Essay - 2

The Role of the Environment (Geography) in the Emergence of the Egyptian Civilization - Essay Example People grew food along the river due to the availability of water and the fertility of the land. The river became an important feature that attracted settlements, leading to a significant growth of cities (Stalcup 2000). Being in a desert, Egypt’s survival relied on the river. Therefore, as civilization continued people came to live in the cities near the river in order to increase their chances of survival. Egyptians lived in an environment with a lot of dessert features. Due to the seasonal rains in East Africa where River Nile originates, the Nile overflowed annually during the ancient Egyptian civilization (Smith 1916). When the rains decreased, the rich black soil was deposited on the floodplain. This environmental phenomenon led to successful agricultural production in Egypt (Stalcup 2000). The sun was also shining relentlessly, providing light and heat for the people and crops. Furthermore, natural dessert barriers caused protection of the Egyptians against foreigners. In terms of arts and writings, a strong and creative society was created following the rise of cities and civilizations along the Nile Delta. The Lighthouse at Alexandria and the Pyramids of Giza became two of the five wonders of the world. There were a lot of written records of ancient Egyptians including moralistic treatises, love poetry, instructional texts and tales. Their knowledge of Mathematics and architecture motivated by the environment also led to the development of large stone buildings (Smith 1916). The availability of building stones and other architectural materials encourage the ancient Egyptians to develop writings and architecture in the Nile Delta region. The Nile River was also a good environment for the growth of papyrus plant that was used to write texts. This encouraged the development of writing during civilization, which  was one of the earliest forms of writings.