When it comes to understanding the nature of the Nile River, I was unable to gain clear information from either the priests or any other people in Egypt. I asked many questions and listened carefully, but no one could give me a definite answer. This surprised me, because the Nile is the most important river in their land and the source of their life and food.
I was especially eager to learn why the Nile begins to rise at the start of the summer solstice. Year after year, at the same season, the river starts to increase in size and continues rising for about one hundred days. Then, once this period is over, it quickly begins to fall. After that, it remains low throughout the entire winter until the next summer solstice arrives An Oracle That Confirms the Nature of Egypt.
Unanswered Mysteries of the River
Despite my many inquiries, the Egyptians could not explain why the Nile behaves in this way. They could not tell me why the river rises in summer instead of winter, which is the opposite of most other rivers. Nor could they explain why the Nile does not produce cooling breezes from its surface, as other large rivers do.
I wanted to know what people commonly believed about these matters, but even the most learned inhabitants had no clear answers. They admitted that they did not understand the cause of these strange natural behaviors. This made the Nile seem even more mysterious and unique among rivers.
Greek Attempts to Explain the Nile
Some Greeks, however, eager to appear wise and clever, have tried to explain the strange behavior of the Nile. They have offered three different explanations for the river’s flooding. Two of these ideas are not worth discussing in detail, and I will only briefly mention them.
One of these explanations claims that the Etesian winds are the cause of the Nile’s rise. According to this view, these strong summer winds blow against the river and prevent its waters from flowing into the sea. As a result, the water is pushed back and causes the river to overflow its banks Guided Tours Sofia.
Why the Wind Theory Is Wrong
This explanation does not seem reasonable to me. First, there have been many years when the Etesian winds did not blow, yet the Nile still rose at its usual time and in its usual way. If the winds were truly the cause, the river should not have flooded during those years.
Second, if the Etesian winds were responsible, then other rivers should show the same behavior. Many rivers in Syria and Libya flow in directions opposite to these winds. These rivers are much smaller than the Nile and have weaker currents. If the winds can stop the powerful Nile, they should easily affect these smaller rivers.
However, none of these rivers behave like the Nile. They do not rise in summer, nor do they flood their lands in the same regular way. This clearly shows that the winds cannot be the true cause of the Nile’s flooding.
A River Unlike All Others
Because these explanations fail, the Nile remains unlike any other river known to me. Its steady and predictable flooding, its summer rise, and its calm surface without breezes all set it apart. The true reason for these features was still unknown to both Egyptians and Greeks at the time, making the Nile one of nature’s greatest mysteries.
