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Watch: Ancient Egyptian farming

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What were the three seasons in the farming calendar?

Three images of the types of Ancient Egyptian farming: Akhet, Peret and Shemu.

There were three seasons in the Egyptian calendar:

AkhetThe flooding season. Heavy summer rain in the highlands of Ethiopia caused the Nile to flood in Egypt. Fields were completely under water.
PeretWhen the flooding went down, there was thick mud which was perfect for planting crops. Farmers used this season to plant grain, barley and other fruits and vegetables.
ShemuThis was the harvest, when farmers picked the food and saved seeds for next year.
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How did the ancient Egyptians farm?

An ancient Egyptian man using a Shaduf

Egyptian farmers dug channels to guide water from the River Nile towards their fields. This was called鈥痓asin irrigation.

They also invented tools like the鈥shaduf. This was a bucket at the end of a pole, used to move water from onto the land.

Farming meant the ancient Egyptian civilisation became very rich.

An ancient Egyptian man using a Shaduf
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Activities

Activity 1: The farming seasons

Can you name the farming seasons?

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Activity 2: Quiz 鈥 Ancient Egyptian farming

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Activity 3: History Explorer game

Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about Ancient Egypt.

History Explorer: Secrets through time

History Explorer: Secrets through time: KS2 History

History Explorer: Secrets through time
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Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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