Can you imagine if every year a large river you lived by flooded? Why does this river flood? Rains in Africa, especially rains from the Ethiopian Highlands, and melting snow caused the Nile River to flood.

The Ancient Egyptians used an object called a nilometer to record how high the Nile was during the year. The nilometer was a staircase that proceeded down into the Nile with marks on it so the Egyptians knew how far the river rose.

In May the Nile River is as low as it will be all year long. From June to August the river rises rapidly. In the middle of September the river is at its highest. By the time October rolls around, the Nile’s water level begins to decrease.

When the Nile was back to normal, there were many puddles of water in areas of the flood plain. The water was soon absorbed in the soil and the Egyptian farmers planted their crops in this muddy area.

Celebrating the Flood

The Ancient Egyptians even held a big festival every year for the Nile River because they thought that the Nile River flooded because Isis, an Egyptian goddess, wept one tear drop. They even offered a human sacrifice for the Nile River.