Egyptian Agriculturalists Develop Irrigation and Animal Husbandry

Agriculture in ancient Egypt began in the Nile River Delta Region of northern Egypt and the fertile basin known as the Faiyum, in the Predynastic Period between 6000 BCE and 3150 BCE. Some evidence, however, shows Egyptians engaged in agriculture as far back as 8000 BCE. While Egyptians were not the world’s first farmers, their efficient use of the land which involved rotating fields to allow soil to recover, led to greater productivity and more rapid population growth. Much of Egypt’s political and economic development in this period flowed from their abundant agriculture.

Egyptian farmers realized water management and especially irrigation were critical for transforming semi-arid land into fertile fields and thus enabling widespread agricultural prosperity in the region. These agriculturalists relied on an irrigation system that was largely dependent on the annual flooding of the Nile River. The floods deposited nutrient-rich silt on the land, permitting the cultivation of crops. They also developed a method called “basin irrigation,” where farmers flooded fields with controlled amounts of water. After the waters receded, the fields would retain moisture for the crops. Farmers maintained canals, as neglect could lead to water shortages or flooding. There were penalties for misusing water resources with a massive fine for improperly constructed or poorly maintained canals as well as fines for diverting water from others without permission.

Saturation of crops near the Nile allowed the land and particularly the Nile Delta to produce abundant food to feed a growing population. Increasing food production led to rapidly rising birth rates. Egyptian Irrigation produced food surpluses which were unknown in most other agricultural societies at that time. The surpluses were often abundant enough to feed every person in the Delta for a year. They were stored in state-owned granaries, used in trade, or saved for leaner times. Most Egyptians worked as agricultural laborers, either on their lands or on the estates of the temples or nobles. Farmers who worked the land of the priests, and noblemen, raised the crops and maintained the farming equipment in exchange for keeping small amounts of the produce for their families.

By the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt, between 1782 BCE and 1570 BCE, during the rule of the Hyksos Dynasty, Egyptian agricultural techniques became more sophisticated and spread beyond the Delta further south along both banks of the Nile. The Hyksos introduced new irrigation methods as well as the horse-drawn drawn plow, the seed drill, and an improved sickle among other farm implements. They were also responsible for animal husbandry, domesticating the donkey and different breeds of cattle as well as lamb, sheep, goats, and poultry. In addition, nobles hunted for sport with their major target, antelope. While not strictly an agricultural innovation, the Hyksos expanded the use of horse-drawn chariots. Fresh meat became a staple in the diet of Egyptian elites but the masses continued to rely on a vegetarian diet supplemented by fresh fish.

Between 1570 BCE and 1069 BCE, during the time of the New Kingdom at Thebes, Egypt’s staple crops included wheat, barley, chickpeas, lettuce, onions, lentils, and garlic. Castor oil was produced and used both as a tonic and as lamp oil. Papyrus was a food source, but it was also used for shoes and window shades. Flax was used for rope and clothing while Opium was consumed for medicinal purposes.

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