on N AP About 96 percent of Egypt s total area is desert To aid in the cultivation of produce farmers use irrigation on the banks of the Nile River This practice which is still used today dates back to ancient times and barley These ingredients were used to make such Egyptian staples as bread soup and beer The ancient Egyptians also used the land to domesticate long horned cattle sheep goats and geese These animals pro vided food and the cattle also supplied labor to plow the fields and carry heavy loads Ancient Egyptian Artisans The ancient Egyptians were skilled artisans They used nearby resources to build homes IO
SETTLEMENT OF THE NILE VALLEY CIVILIZATION S FIRST SOLAR CALENDAR Egyptian farmers set out to predict the Nile s flood ing cycle They wanted to determine when the ideal planting season would come each year In approxi mately 4236 BCE they created a 365 day agricultural calendar This was the first solar calendar consist ing of 365 days in recorded history The Egyptian calendar consisted of 12 months Each month was made up of 30 days An additional five days were added at the end of each year to keep calendar dates better aligned with the sun's movement The calendar year was divided into three seasons the inundation flooding season winter when the waters receded and summer the dry season or harvest The agricultural calendar made it possible for farmers to harvest a high yield of annual crops make clothing and craft home goods The first Egyptian homes were lightly built huts However later homes were made of mud bricks and more sophisticated They had wood framed doors small windows and floors of straw matting Paintings often decorated the walls and although wood was scarce it was eventually imported IIT
DISCOVERING ANCIENT EGYPT from other lands to make furniture Reyes Egyptian artisans also sculpted clay for pottery They carved ivory for ornaments and cut stone for religious figurines They spun and wove flax for white linen clothing This style of dress helped them keep cool in the scorching cli mate Men wore skirts and women wore straight ankle length dresses Paperworkers gathered papyrus reeds from the Nile marshes to make III pale yellow writing paper Weavers used the reeds for baskets mats rope and san dals Metalworkers used Much of what we know today metals and precious stones to about ancient Egyptian artistry comes from the rich fashion jewelry dishes tools findings that archaeologists and weapons have made This painted jar Significantly boat makers made sometime between 1200 and 1050 BCE demonstrates built vessels to sail and trade the style of artisan crafts with foreign lands These vessels created during the New were signed for identifica Kingdom tion a signature later believed by Egyptologists those who ce 12
SETTLEMENT OF THE NILE VALLEY study Egypt to be among the first acts of writing In fact many of ancient Egypt s arti san goods were preserved over generations and discovered by archaeologists Today they give us great insight into the resources and lifestyle of the ancient Egyptians Two Kingdoms As a reliable food supply increased so did the population All Egyptians contributed E A temple carving made during the 12th dynasty about 1756 BCE depicts the crown of Lower Egypt on the left and the crown of Upper Egypt on the right 13
