How Did Geography Affect Ancient Egyptian Civilization

Geography has affected civilizations in many ways throughout history. One can see this with any civilization and at any point in time. An excellent example of this is the Egyptian nation from when their history first began to appear through the hellenistic period. Because the Egyptian people were located throughout the Egyptian country, and more particularly by the Nile River, geography impacted their religion, government, and society. Geography affected the Egyptian religion by allowing the surrounding nature to shape the way that Egyptians viewed gods. The Egyptians consistently had a polytheistic worship system, but the specifics of those beliefs were moulded by the Nile River (McKay 22). The Nile River was vital to Egyptian survival, and as such, the characteristics of the Egyptian gods were reflected by the characteristics of the Nile. For instance, as we learned in our reading, the Egyptians had a calendar created from the yearly cycles of the Nile River, showing that the Nile River is “predictable.” The many Egyptian gods were likewise very predictable, securing the association, whether intentional or not, between the location of Egyptian civilization and their …show more content…
This was done through trading, which allowed Egyptians to learn how life was lived by other people and obtain items that weren’t abundant in Egypt, and by integrating features of nations that closely interacted with Egyptians. The most prominent illustration of this is the creation of a new god named Serapis by combining Hades, Zeus, Asclepius, gods from Greek culture with Osiris, a god from Egyptian culture during the Hellenistic period (110). Although Egyptian culture was not lost, it was changed through Greek enlightenment. This occurrence sets a pattern for Egyptian society to be transformed by surrounding