Counted upstream (from north to south), the First Cataract is in modern Egypt ; the rest are in Sudan. The word cataract comes from the Greek word Katarakhtes meaning “waterfall”. In ancient times, Upper Egypt extended from the Nile Delta to the first cataract.
Where was the first cataract in ancient Egypt?
The first documented case of cataract is on a statue from the fifth dynasty (about 2457–2467 bc) contained in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt .
What does cataract mean in Egyptian?
In fact, “cataract” means both an opacity of the lens and a torrent of water and is derived from the Greek word kataráktēs meaning the fall of water. A wall painting in an ancient tomb at Thebes (about 1200 B.C.) seems to reveal the treatment of an eye by an oculist.
How many cataracts are located along the Nile river?
The Blue Nile brings about the inundation or annual flood and provides most of the river’s water and silt. The Atbara river has less of an impact, as it flows only occasionally. In the south, the Nile has a series of six main cataracts , which begin at the site of Aswan.
Why were the cataracts of the Nile river ideal places to locate cities?
Why were the cataracts of the Nile River ideal places to locate cities? They provided protection from enemies .
What called hieroglyphics?
The word hieroglyph literally means “sacred carvings” . The Egyptians first used hieroglyphs exclusively for inscriptions carved or painted on temple walls. ... Hieroglyphics are an original form of writing out of which all other forms have evolved. Two of the newer forms were called hieratic and demotic.
What was cataract in history?
The earliest documented case of cataract was reported to be in a museum in Cairo that houses a small statue from the 5th dynasty (about 2457-2467 B.C.E.) The wooden statue of a priest reader clearly has a white patch carved into the pupil of the left eye, and is thought to represent a cataract.
What is cataracts on your eyes?
A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye . For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window.
Who lived beyond the Nile cataracts?
Nubia is traditionally divided into two regions. The southern portion, which extended north to the southern end of the second cataract of the Nile was known as Upper Nubia; this was called Kush (Cush) under the 18th-dynasty pharaohs of ancient Egypt and was called Ethiopia by the ancient Greeks.
Where is the 5th Nile cataract?
The Fifth Cataract is near the confluence of the Nile and Atbarah Rivers . (17.68°N 33.97°E) The Sixth Cataract is where the Nile cuts through the Sabaluka pluton, close to Bagrawiyah.
What is the difference between a cataract and a waterfall?
A waterfall is an area where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision .
Why is Lower Egypt in the north?
The Nile River flows north through Egypt and into the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. This looks a bit confusing on a map because Upper Egypt is to the south and Lower Egypt is to the north. This is because the names come from the flow of the Nile River .
When was cataract surgery first done?
The first true cataract extraction was performed in 1747 , in Paris, by the French surgeon Jacques Daviel. His procedure was more effective than couching, with an overall success rate of 50%.
The Blue Nile is navigable only during the high-water season and then only as far as Al-Ruṣayriṣ . Because of the presence of the cataracts north of Khartoum, the river is navigable in Sudan only in three stretches.
What is Kush best remembered for?
In battle, Kush was famous for its archers and the bow and arrow were often depicted in the art of Ancient Kush. Sometimes the region was called the “Land of the Bow” because of its famous archers. One of the most famous leaders of Kush was Piye who conquered Egypt and became pharaoh of Egypt.
Where did the Nubians originate from?
Nubians (/ˈnuːbiənz, ˈnjuː-/) (Nobiin: Nobī) are an ethno-linguistic group of people who are indigenous to the region which is now present-day northern Sudan and southern Egypt. They originate from the early inhabitants of the central Nile valley , believed to be one of the earliest cradles of civilization.
