Rare Print Nilometer Structure Used (1 results)

How high is the water, mama? Johny Cash was asking his mother, when it is was '6 feet high and rising'. In Egypt it would probably mean that taxes that year would be low. In Egypt it all depended on the behavior of the Nile and a Priest, who would monitor the so-called Nilometer. A nilometer was a structure for measuring the Nile River's clarity and water level during the annual flood season. If the water level was low, there would be less food. If it was too high, it would be destructive. There was a specific mark that indicated how high the flood should be if the fields were to get good soil. Their predictions would determine how much money would be collected in taxes. The ability of priests and rulers to predict the behavior of the Nile was used to impress the common people. Nilometers originated in Pharaonic times, were also built in Roman times, and used until the Aswan Dam rendered them obsolete in the 1960s. This is a rare Antique print titled 'View of the Nilometer'. Old print with a view on the nilometer. A nilometer was a structure for measuring the Nile River's clarity and water level during the annual flood season. This print originates from 'Views of Egypt'. Artists and Engravers: Published by R. Bowyer.