The Nile was also the society’s most important transportation route.
The ancient Egyptians depended heavily on the Nile River. The river created an oasis in the surrounding desert, providing water for drinking and for farming. Each year, the river rose, flooded, and fell. Its flooding deposited sediments along the riverbank, making the land good for farming. The fertility of the land and the general predictability of the Nile’s flooding ensured farmers a high yield from a single annual crop. Eventually, the Egyptians could store large surpluses of grain, to trade and to keep in reserve in case of crop failures. Surplus crops would form the chief basis of ancient Egypt’s great wealth. The Nile was also the society’s most important transportation route.