This was the bountiful occupation of ancient Egyptians from predynastic times (before 3000 B.C.E.) that enabled them to transform an expanse of semiarid land into rich fields after each inundation of the Nile. Agriculture in Egypt always depended upon the pooling of resources and labor so that the mineral-rich waters of the Nile could be introduced inland for fertilization of lands. Early farmers dug trenches from the Nile shore to the farmlands, using draw wells, crude irrigation tools, and then the SHADUF, a primitive machine that allowed them to raise levels of water from the Nile into canals. The shaduf was introduced into Egypt by the HYKSOS, or Asiatics (1600–1500 B.C.E.). Fields thus irrigated produced abundant annual crops.
From the Predynastic Period, agriculture was the mainstay of the Egyptian economy. Most Egyptians were employed in agricultural labors, either on their own lands or on the estates of the temples or nobles. Control of irrigation became a major concern, and provincial officials were held responsible for the regulation of water. The storage of crops occurred at the local level and at royal granaries in the capital, and assessors were sent from the capital to the provinces to collect taxes in the form of grain. The local temples of the gods also had vast fields, with their own irrigation needs. The temples had storage units and were subject to taxes in most eras, unless exempted for a particular reason or favor.
Agriculture began in the FAIYUM and in the DELTA regions well before the start of the Dynastic Period, c. 2920 B.C.E. Normally the Egyptians plowed the fields with oxen, and teams of two men each worked to form shallow furrows for the seeds. One man guided the plow, and the other led the oxen through the designated pattern. Some tomb reliefs depict the activity and show a second plow being dragged behind the first one. The second implement turned up the earth between the furrows. If the farmers wanted only the top layer of soil tilled in any season, they used lighter plows, normally pushed by the farm workers. In any case the furrows had to be broken up after the initial plowing. Men and women entered the fields with simple wooden hoes to break up the clumps of earth. The sowing of the fields was a two-part activity in most areas. The farmers put the seed in the earth and then drove herds of sheep or swine into the fields to trample the seeds deep into the furrows. Normally crops were harvested with sickles. Barley, emmer, and other grains were gathered with such tools and taken to the local threshing areas, where again animals were employed. The harvest was carried on the backs of donkeys or asses, and at the storage areas the crops were ground by oxen.
The first fruits of each harvest were reserved for the local gods and the temples. The deity MIN (1), popular throughout Egypt, was offered praise for each crop drawn from the earth. ALTARS were sometimes erected to provide adequate rituals, and granary officials, priests, or government representatives were on hand for all harvests, measuring the crops for tax assessments. These harvest celebrations were always attended by the entire populations of the nearby districts, and the people gave thanks to the Nile and to the agricultural patrons for the abundance of another year.
