7/28/2019 Nilometer.pdf

1/3

Nilometer 1

Nilometer

Measuring shaft of the Nilometer on Rhoda Island, Cairo

A Nilometer was a structure for measuring

the Nile River's clarity and water level

during the annual flood season.

Between July and November, the reaches of

the Nile running through Egypt would burst

their banks and cover the adjacent flood

plain. When the waters receded, around

September or October, they left behind a

rich alluvial deposit of exceptionally fertile

black silt over the croplands. The inundation

akhetin the Egyptian languagewas one

of the three seasons into which the Ancient

Egyptians divided their years. (See Seasonof the Inundation.)

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the annual flood to Egyptian civilization. A moderate inundation

was a vital part of the agricultural cycle; however, a lighter inundation than normal would cause famine, and too

much flood water would be equally disastrous, washing away much of the infrastructure built on the flood plain.

Records from Pharaonic times indicate that on average, one year out of every five saw an inundation that was either

over-abundant or fell short of expectations.[citation needed]

The ability to predict the volume of the coming inundation was part of the mystique of the Ancient Egyptian

priesthood. The same skill also played a political and administrative role, since the quality of the year's flood was

used to determine the levels of tax to be paid. This is where the nilometer came into play, with priests monitoring the

day-to-day level of the river and announcing the awaited arrival of the summer flood.

The simplest nilometer design is a vertical column submerged in the waters of the river, with marked intervals

indicating the depth of the water. One that follows this simple design, albeit housed in an elaborate and ornate stone

structure, can still be seen on the island of Rhoda in central Cairo. While this nilometer dates only as far back as

AD 861, when the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil ordered its construction, it was built on a site occupied by an

earlier specimen which was seen by the Syrian Orthodox patriarch Dionysius of Tel Mahre in 830.[1]

Conical structure covers the Nilometer on southern tip of Rhoda

Island in the Nile River at Cairo The structure is modern but the

Nilometer dates from 861 AD.

The second nilometer design comprises a flight of stairs

leading down into the water, with depth markings along

the walls. The best known example of this kind can be

seen on the island of Elephantine in Aswan. This location

was also particularly important, since for much of

Egyptian history, Elephantine marked Egypt's southern

border and was therefore the first place where the onset of

the annual flood was detected.

The most elaborate design involved a channel or culvert

that led from the riverbank often running for a

considerable distance and then fed a well, tank, or

cistern. These nilometer wells were most frequently

located within the confines of temples, where only the

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aswanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elephantinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3ANilometer_Rhoda_Island_Cairo_June_1966.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dionysius_of_Tel_Mahrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Al-Mutawakkilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abbasidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cairohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhoda_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Faminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Season_of_the_Inundationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Season_of_the_Inundationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ancient_Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ancient_Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Egyptian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alluviumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flood_plainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flood_plainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3ACairo_Nilometer_2.jpg

7/28/2019 Nilometer.pdf

2/3

Nilometer 2

Nilometer on Elephantine Island

priests and rulers were allowed access. A particularly fine

example, with a deep, cylindrical well and a culvert

opening in the surrounding wall, can be seen at the

Temple of Kom Ombo to the north of Aswan.

While nilometers originated in Pharaonic times, they

continued to be used by the later civilizations that held

sway in Egypt. In the 20th century, the Nile's annual

inundation was first greatly checked, and then eliminated

entirely, with the construction of the Aswan dams.

While the Aswan High Dam's impact on Egypt and its

agriculture has been controversial for other, more

complex reasons, it has also had the additional effect of

rendering the nilometer obsolete.

Notes[1] Bar Hebraeus, Chronicon Ecclesiasticum, i. 373

References

Abbeloos, Jean Baptiste; Lamy, Thomas Joseph, eds.

(1877).Bar Hebraeus, Chronicon Ecclesiasticum (3

vols). Paris.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aswan_damhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Temple_of_Kom_Ombohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AEgypt.Aswan.ElephantineIsland.Nilometer.01.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elephantine

7/28/2019 Nilometer.pdf

3/3

Article Sources and Contributors 3

Article Sources and ContributorsNilometer Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=552846011 Contributors: Adyjoy, Alan Liefting, Alarob, Albmont, Alfanje, Amovrvs, Andrewpmk, Apeloverage, Bensaccount,

Deor, Dialectric, Djwilms, Hajor, Jabishriki, Jprschaefer, Leinad, Lihan161051, Md7t, Michael Hardy, Mmcannis, PoccilScript, Prong hunter, Randwicked, Shafei, Srain, TheLongTone,

WikHead, 22 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsImage:Cairo Nilometer 2.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Cairo_Nilometer_2.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Contributors:

Baldiri

Image:Nilometer Rhoda Island Cairo June 1966.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Nilometer_Rhoda_Island_Cairo_June_1966.jpgLicense: Creative Commons

Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Prong hunter

Image:Egypt.Aswan.ElephantineIsland.Nilometer.01.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Egypt.Aswan.ElephantineIsland.Nilometer.01.jpgLicense: Creative

Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 Generic Contributors: CiaPan, Hajor, JMCC1, Look2See1, Neithsabes, Ronaldino

License

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/