7 ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF EGYPT - HISTORY - 2024

The most important economic activities in Egypt were the exchange of gold and wheat, agriculture, livestock, fishing and crafts. The civilization of Egypt used many forms of commerce, as well as agriculture, to maintain itself economically.

Mainly the economy consisted of exchanging gold and wheat. Most Egyptians depended on trade to make money. They had many farms and livestock that they traded for tools to make their food; they also collected many different minerals and metals. Currently, the exchange is still a great economic activity in Egypt.

Many sectors of the population worked on the farms, which could be their own or that of the nobles. Professions related to administrators, merchants, and craftsmen were also exercised in the population.

The crops in Egypt were much richer than other countries of that time, allowing a large percentage of urban development and various forms of production.

Thanks to these economic activities, cities and temples could be built; they could also equip their armies and have abundant wealth as a society.

Main economic activities of the Egyptian civilization

farming

Agriculture created the majority of Egypt's wealth. Vegetables, grains and fruits were cultivated, while cattle, pigs, goats and poultry were raised.

Horses were not very popular, but donkeys were popularly used as brute force in the field.

Most of the crops of ancient Egypt were wheat and barley, as well as lettuce, grains, onions, figs, dates, grapes, melons, and cucumbers. Flax was also grown by many farmers and was used for the production of flax.

The annual floods kept the soil fertile. However, agricultural techniques were not very efficient; development was rare, implements always remained primitive.

Commerce

Egyptian civilization was very good at bartering. They traded gold, papyrus, linen, and grains for cedar wood, ebony wood, ivory, iron, copper, and lapis lazuli.

His vessels sailed through the Nile River importing and exporting objects from various ports. Once the objects were unloaded, they were transported to various merchants via camels, carts, and on foot.

Traders in Egypt met other civilizations just past the mouth of the Nile River, to exchange items that had been brought to them. Despite this, it was not so common for them to travel beyond the Nile River themselves.

After their objects were consumed by the producers themselves - and after the landowners and tax collectors had collected, the merchandise was sold on the free market directly to consumers or professional merchants.

Much of the wheat grown was kept in the warehouses of private owners. Many of the grains were collected as taxes. The objects and crops were used as a kind of currency.

Later, gold, silver, and copper were also popularly used in deals and trade with foreigners.

Crafts

The crafts were produced in small shops. Its products included linen textiles, handicrafts, bricks, tools, glasses, weapons, furniture, jewelry, perfumes, ropes, baskets, carpets, and writing materials.

These products were made to later be exchanged for others, within the same Egyptian society, or exported to other societies and regions.

Fishing

Virtually all the fish consumed were caught from the Nile River. This civilization was one of the first to use fishing as a source of food. Many fishermen made a living from this profession.

The fish were caught with mesh made of willow branches and traps in the water; harpoons, as well as hook and thread were used.

Most of the fish species that lived in the Nile included tilapia, catfish, eels, sharks, and perch.

Technology

Innovations in many areas made it possible for Egypt to become an ancient power. Since trade was such an important economic activity, the Egyptians needed properly functioning ships.

The Egyptian civilization used their knowledge of the science of aerodynamics to build ships that caught the wind and could be propelled through water.

The Egyptians developed numerous sails that could be adjusted upwind on different ships.

At first they built small boats made of papyrus, but eventually they began to build larger ships made of cedar wood.

They also invented the concept of using rope lattices to strengthen the girders of their ships. They were also the first to use rudders on their ships.

Mining

Most of the quarries in Egypt are near the Nile River. Mainly their reserves are gold. Gold mining started in alluvial deposits and continued with underground tracks in Nubia in ancient Egypt.

Egypt was a great producer of gold for 1500 years. It is believed that the exploitation of gold, and not military power, was the main characteristic that turned Egypt into an empire.

The quarries produced enough quality stones to make decorative monuments such as sculptures and obelisks. Most of the stones found are different types of granite, quartz, and basalt.

Manufacture

A large number of the manufactured objects came from families that produced the raw materials. The work was divided according to gender, with the processing tasks generally left to women.

While the men cultivated the linseed, the women spun it into a mesh and wove the flax. A large proportion of the grain produced was used to produce beer.

Small factories were built in the cities, often financed by affluent people. These factories included bakeries, breweries, and carpentry shops with several dozen employees.

References

1. The ancient egyptian economy. Recovered from reshafilm.org
2. Economy during the ancient Egyptian times. Recovered from egyptiandiamond.com
3. Ancient egypt for kids- Economy and trade. Recovered from egypt.mrdonn.org
4. Stone quarries of ancient egypt. Recovered from wikipedia.org
5. Ancient egypt / Economy. Recovered from looklex.com
6. Fishing, hunting and fowling. The ancient egyptian economy. Recovered from reshafilm.org
7. Ancient egyptian technology. Recovered from ancient-egypt-online.com
8. Mining industry in Egypt. Recovered from wikipedia.org.