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The Nile from Source to Sea

A ten‑minute journey tracing the Nile’s origins, its life‑giving flood, the gods it inspired, and the peoples who lived along its banks.

Chapters

• 0:07 From Lake Victoria to the Delta
• 1:16 The Annual Inundation
• 2:43 Divine Waters
• 3:52 Life on the River

On-screen text

• 0:07 From Lake Victoria to the Delta
• 0:14 From Lake Victoria to the Delta
• 0:31 Lake Victoria: Nile's source The Institute's interpretation · Speke, Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, 1862
• 0:49 Ptolemy maps the delta Historical record · Ptolemy, Geography 4.5
• 1:07 Delta market Historical record · Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century CE)
• 1:16 The Annual Inundation
• 1:23 The Annual Inundation
• 1:40 Nilometer measures flood Historical record · British Museum EA 102 (Nilometer inscription)
• 1:58 Ancient flood records Historical record · Papyrus Leiden I 344 (c. 200 BCE)
• 2:16 365‑day calendar Historical record · Palermo Stone (c. 2400 BCE)
• 2:34 Tax relief during flood Historical record · Rosetta Stone (196 BCE)
• 2:43 Divine Waters
• 2:50 Divine Waters
• 3:07 Hapi, god of the flood Historical record · Cairo Museum CG 421 (relief of Hapi, 12th dynasty)
• 3:25 Sobek and the Nile Historical record · Kom Ombo Temple reliefs, 2nd century CE
• 3:43 Hapi in afterlife Tradition / scripture · Papyrus of Ani (c. 1250 BCE)
• 3:52 Life on the River
• 4:07 Gold shipped from Nubia to Thebes Historical record · Amarna Letter EA 34 (c. 1350 BCE)
• 4:39 Grain loaded onto barges for Thebes Historical record · Theban Tomb TT100 (c. 1450 BCE)
• 5:11 Tribute boats to Meroë temple Historical record · Meroitic inscription, Temple of Amun, Meroë (c. 200 BCE)
• 5:35 Canals divert Nile to Faiyum The Institute's interpretation · Middle Kingdom reliefs at Medinet el‑Fayum (c. 1900 BCE)

Sources

Historical record: Ptolemy, Geography 4.5 · Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century CE) · British Museum EA 102 (Nilometer inscription) · Papyrus Leiden I 344 (c. 200 BCE) · Palermo Stone (c. 2400 BCE) · Rosetta Stone (196 BCE) · Cairo Museum CG 421 (relief of Hapi, 12th dynasty) · Kom Ombo Temple reliefs, 2nd century CE · Amarna Letter EA 34 (c. 1350 BCE) · Theban Tomb TT100 (c. 1450 BCE) · Meroitic inscription, Temple of Amun, Meroë (c. 200 BCE)

Tradition / scripture: Papyrus of Ani (c. 1250 BCE)

The Institute's interpretation: Speke, Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, 1862 · Middle Kingdom reliefs at Medinet el‑Fayum (c. 1900 BCE)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 190 s of CPU.