The Nile

Although Herodotus' dictum that "Egypt is a gift of the Nile" is proverbial, there has been only scant attention to the way the river impact ancient Egyptian society. Egyptologists frequently focus on the textual and iconographic record, whereas archaeologists and earth scientists approach the issue from the perspective of the natural sciences. The essays in this volume bridge this gap by analyzing the river both as a natural and as a cultural phenomenon. Adopting an approach of cultural ecology, it addresses issues like ancient land use, administration and taxation, irrigation, and religious concepts.