The Greek mercenaries and traders spread stories back home about Egypt and gave Egyptian things Greek names, such as the Nile estuary being called a delta after the shape of the Greek letter. 500 BC, declared Greeks as one of the first groups of outsiders that ever lived in Egypt. However, Naucratis was declared a Greek free-trade zone by the pharaoh Amasis in ca. He ruled Egypt in the beginning of the 26th Dynasty of Egypt (from ca. The Greeks Ionians and Carians are known to have served as mercenaries of Psammetichus I armies on his campaigns in the Nile valley. 530–520 BC), as one might be tempted to think. Recently, Villing reported that Naukratis must date back to the late 7th century BC, not just to the time of the pharaoh Amasis (ca. It was the first and the only permanent Greek camp in Egypt, acting as a mutual relationship for the exchange of art and culture between ancient Greece and Egypt. It was placed on the Canopic branch of the Nile river, 72 km from the Mediterranean sea. The city of Naucratis was founded in Ancient Egypt. 1100–750 BC), a “renaissance” of Greek culture grew in the 7th century BC and with it came renewed contact with the East and its two great river civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Nile. 1600–1100 BC).įollowing the failure of Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations and the consequent Greek dark ages (ca. This history of ancient Greeks to Egypt was continued by Mycenaean culture (ca. Furthermore, they continued to trade with Egypt and the Middle East-tin, ivory, copper and gold-while they built a lined road network to link the main cultural centers. A Minoan wall fresco from room 5 of west House of Akroriri city in the Aegean island Santorin (Thera) is shown in Figure 1 depicting the Nile river and its banks in Egypt. Besides exchanging natural resources, the Minoans also adopted from the surrounding cultures art concepts and tools as evident in Egypt’s influence on the Minoan wall paintings. For example, wood was one of the raw materials that was commercially used and traded to nearby countries such as Egypt, Syria and Cyprus. Egypt received little rainfall, so farmers relied on the Nile to water their crops.Much archaeological evidence suggests that there was contact between ancient Egyptian and Greek civilizations. Farmers plowed and planted seeds in the fields, which were irrigated with ditches and canals. After the flood waters had receded, the growing season lasted from October to February. The flooding season lasted from June to September, depositing on the river's banks the silt for growing crops. The Egyptians recognized three seasons: Akhet (flooding), Peret (planting), and Shemu (harvesting). The ancient Egyptians were thus able to produce an abundance of food, allowing the population to devote more time and resources to cultural, technological, and artistic pursuits. Planting immediately after a flood yielded harvests before the next year's flood. This predictable flooding and fertilization of the soil allowed farmers to dig short canals leading to fields near the Nile, thus providing fresh water for year-round irrigation. As the river receded, it deposited a rich, brown layer of silt that was suitable for growing wheat, beans, barley, or even cotton At the same time each year, the Nile flooded for about six months. A combination of favorable geographical features contributed to the success of ancient Egyptian culture, the most important of which was the rich fertile soil resulting from annual flooding of the Nile River.
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