The Reason the Nilometer Was Used

People might see the title and say, “Wait, what? What is a Nilometer?” That is a reasonable question and in understanding what it is and was helps for grasping why it was used and was of great importance. 

A Nilometer is a device used to measure the depth of the Nile River. The depth of the river has been extremely important to the land on either side of the Nile for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians relied heavily on the Nile and the annual flooding of the river.

During the flood season, the waters of the Nile carried a huge amount of rich sediment that was deposited when the flood waters receded. This greatly increased the fertility of the soil in the floodplain near the Nile and made it possible for crops to flourish.

If the Nile’s water level wasn’t great enough, not many sediments could be carried in the water. The soil would be less fertile for the year and famine could be the result, especially without planning. On the other hand, if the water was too deep, it could be tremendously destructive. If the water level was between the two extremes, the deposits in the floodplain of the Nile would be great for growing food and crops would usually be in abundance. 

The water of the Nile and the annual floods were so important that the Egyptian year was divided into three seasons, largely based on the condition of the Nile. The flood season was known as the season of inundation and was called akhet. The importance of the depth of the water was so great that the means of measuring the amount of water in the river was needed. The surprising thing is that the first Nilometer was only built in 861 AD, though the Egyptians had been relying on the Nile and measuring its depth for thousands of years before Jesus was even born.

In 1902, the Aswan Low Dam was built across the Nile at Aswan, Egypt. In the 1960’s, the Aswan High Dam was built across the Nile River, for various reasons. Because of the Aswan High Dam, the annual flooding of the Nile is largely controlled, and with it, sediments are no longer deposited every year by the annual flood. For this reason, the Nilometer is now obsolete and isn’t of much importance, except historically.