Editing Nilometer (section)

==Description==
[[File:Nilometre at the southern tip of Roda Island, Environs du Kaire (Cairo). Plan général de Boulâq, du Kaire, de l'île de Roudah (el-Rôda), du Vieux Kaire et de Gyzeh (Jîzah) (NYPL b14212718-1268726) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Nilometer shown {{circa}}1800 at the southern tip of Roda Island]]
Between July and November, the reaches of the Nile running through [[Egypt]] would burst their banks and cover the adjacent [[floodplain]]. When the waters receded, around September or October, they left behind a rich [[Alluvium|alluvial deposit]] of exceptionally fertile black silt over the croplands. The ''akhet'', or [[Season of the Inundation]], was one of the three seasons into which the [[ancient Egypt]]ians divided their year.

The annual flood was of great importance to Egyptian civilization. A moderate inundation was a vital part of the agricultural cycle; however, a lighter inundation than normal would cause [[famine]], and too much flood water would be equally disastrous, washing away much of the infrastructure built on the flood plain. Records from AD 622{{ndash}}999 indicate that, on average, 28% of the years saw an inundation that fell short of expectations.<ref name="Fagan2010" />

[[File:Palermo Ston fragment-Akademie der Wissenschaften Berlin.jpg|thumb|upright|Palermo Stone, 5th Dynasty (2392 B.C.E-2283 B.C.E)]]
Across Egypt various nilometers could be found that recorded readings of the Nile's annual levels. A fragment of a recovered Egyptian [[stele]] "Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom" known as the "[[Palermo Stone]]" deemed to be from the times of the [[First Dynasty of Egypt|First Dynasty]] around 3,000 B.C.E.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-02-09 |title=The Palermo Stone and its unsolved mysteries {{!}} www.palermoviva.it |url=https://www.palermoviva.it/the-palermo-stone-and-its-unsolved-mysteries/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |language=it-IT}}</ref> The Palermo Stone reports systems of measurements utilizing units such as cubits, palms, and fingers.<ref>Danielle Brushaber, Ancient Egypt’s Religious Need For Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, </ref>

The ability to predict the volume of the coming inundation was part of the mystique of the ancient Egyptian priesthood. The same skill also played a political and administrative role, since the quality of the year's flood was used to determine the levels of tax to be paid. This is where the nilometer came into play, with priests monitoring the day-to-day level of the river and announcing the awaited arrival of the summer flood.

Religious attributes related to the Nile intertwined with the ideology or belief in Ma'at (a system of natural balance). Nilometers were accessible to only members of the city's priests and nobles.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2016-05-18 |title=Ancient Device for Determining Taxes Discovered in Egypt |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/160517-nilometer-discovered-ancient-egypt-nile-river-archaeology |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=History |language=en}}</ref> The restriction on who may access these structures ensured both accountability in proper readings and political control for the religious communities and ruling classes.<ref name=":0" />