Learn about the ancient Egyptian agricultural techniques.
Irrigation using a shaduf / 19th Dynasty
The new grain types of the Ptolemaic period required a great deal of water. Farmers needed to ensure they had effective, consistent irrigation. The Nile's rising and receding waters naturally irrigated most of the crops. Areas where the Nile didn't reach, such as gardens and vegetable plots, required an irrigation tool known as the shadoof.
The shadoof allowed easy transport of water from its source. It consisted of a tall wooden frame with a long pivoting pole and suspended bucket. The system could be raised and lowered with little effort.
Abydos, Sakieh / 20th Century
Later a sakia, or water wheel, was invented. The sakia needed animals to turn the wheel, which rotated buckets through the water.
It drew the water to an elevation of 3.5 meters, and enabled a great deal of control over the irrigation process.
This improvement supplied larger areas and thus resulted in larger harvests.
Harvesting, Treshing and winnowing. Tomb of Paheri / 2012
The threshing process separated the grain from its husk.
Workers would spread the ears on clean ground. Oxen, cows or donkeys were then guided back and forth to trample the grain. This continuous movement worked the grain loose while preventing the animals from eating it.
Unwanted chaff and straw were swept away, or gathered and added to the mud used to make bricks, to make them stronger.
Brick mold / New Kingdom
Winnowing was the stage where workers used wooden scoops to throw ears in the air. The wind carried off the chaff, leaving the heavier seeds to fall to the ground.
This action was repeated until the undesired materials were sifted out.
Grain waste was mixed with manure or other organic substances to produce brick-shaped dung toaves that could be easily burned.
A standardized brick size enabled Egyptians to mass produce this byproduct, and use it as a commodity.
Mural: people loading grains on a boat
Transporting large amounts of grain required ships equipped to carry heavy loads. These goods were moved during the Nile's flooding season, when the river was deep enough for large ships.
The transports stopped at checkpoints to accommodate customs and police controls, as well as for technical requirements and weather conditions.
Model of a granary with scribe and overseer / Middle Kingdom
Having reached Alexandria's inner harbor, the wheat was unloaded under the supervision of a civil servant in charge of wheat management.
Portions were distributed to Alexandria's city market, and the remaining stockpile was either exported or stored in warehouses.
A model of a granary with scribes / Middle Kingdom
Grain storage facilities were located across all of Egypt.
Temples and institutions had large silos, while individual houses had storage sheds.
In some houses, arched cellars were built into the foundations. These watertight chambers were accessible from the ground floor, through a trapdoor.
Royal granaries acted as the storehouse and distribution centers, and managed state payments to civil servants, soldiers and the police.
Though plastered on the inside, silos weren't completely sealed and so remained susceptible to mice infestations.
Sifting Meal, Tomb of Rekhmire / Middle Kingdom
When the grain was ready for processing, it was poured into bowis and pounded into a coarse flour.
That flour was then passed through a sieve to make it a finer quality, and further ground between stones.
Ancient Egyptians did not stock flour. Instead, fresh grain was portioned out each time to produce flour as it was needed.
Model Seive from a Foundation Deposit for Hatshepsut's Temple / New Kingdom
The sieves used by Ancient Egyptians were unable to filter out sand and stones. Grit often passed into the flour, causing long-term tooth abrasions among all classes of Egyptians.
