1 . Many people assume Egypt is, and always has been, a desert. But considering that climates and landscapes can change over time and that humans have been known to change natural environments, was ancient Egypt a desert?
The simple answer is no. Not all of Egypt, ancient or modern, qualifies as a desert. Areas near the Nile River tend to be lusher (草木繁茂的), and Egyptians — in both ancient and modern times — have had a successful system of agriculture. However, the environment has changed over Egypt’s history, and the construction of the Aswan High Dam (坝) across the Nile between 1960 and 1970 changed the landscape greatly.
Some areas of Egypt that are now desert were wetter in the past. One famous example is the “Cave of Swimmers” in southwestern Egypt. Today, the area is very dry, but thousands of years ago, it was wetter, and some of the rock art found in caves in the area appears to show people swimming, according to the British Museum.
The Aswan High Dam caused some areas in southern Egypt to flood, leading to the creation of Lake Nasser. Many people had to move, and some archaeological (考古的) sites ended up underwater. The construction of the dam also ended the natural flooding of the Nile. The creation of Lake Nasser also led to more moisture (水分) in the air in some areas of southern Egypt.
One effect of the generally higher Nile River levels during the Bronze Age is that around 2500 B. C., when the pyramids at Giza were constructed, the “Khufu branch”, a vanished (消失的) branch of the Nile River, came right next to the pyramids (金字塔). This branch allowed for materials to be transported to the site by boat, aiding in pyramid construction.
The ancient Egyptians who lived by the Nile in some ways viewed themselves as living on an island in the Nile Valley, with the deserts as a sort of great sea.
1. What can we know about “Cave of Swimmers”?| A．It used to be very dry. | B．The rock art shows it used to be wet. |
| C．It’s near the British Museum. | D．It shows ancient Egyptians loved art. |
| A．It saves some Egypt archaeological sites. |
| B．It brings in too much trouble for Egyptians. |
| C．It affects Egypt both positively and negatively. |
| D．It leads to more moisture in the air in the whole Egypt. |
| A．By making Nile River water level higher. |
| B．By helping people build pyramids more easily. |
| C．By making ancient Egyptians live on an island. |
| D．By leading some branches of the Nile River disappear. |
| A．Was Ancient Egypt a Desert? | B．Do You Know Deserts in Egypt? |
| C．Was Egypt a Great Country? | D．Do You Know Ancient Egypt? |
