GEOGRAPHICAL ASPECTS OP THE NILE LYONS. 503 



should have been within a hundred j'ears, or rather more, completely 

 replaced by one of Syrian origin, which has remained in use ever 

 since. 



But little is known of the manner in which land was classified in 

 ancient Egypt, but i^aj^yri, of Ptolemaic age, from the Fayum give 

 full details of the system which then existed. There was very little 

 difference between it and the present-day practice. Private land was 

 classed separately from that of the government ; canals and canal 

 banks were shown ; land which had deteriorated was transferred from 

 one class to another; in fact, the measurement and registration of 

 land two thousand years ago differed but little from the present prac- 

 tice, except that the methods of computation were approximate 

 instead of being exact; but even this change is limited to the present 

 survey, and has not yet become the universal practice. 



In early historic times Egypt was largely agricultural, but a great 

 extent of marsh and lagoon still remained Avhich was flooded an- 

 nually, and retained water to a greater or less extent throughout the 

 3^ear. As time went on man controlled more and more the flood 

 waters, and extended his cultivation as the marshes were silted up or 

 drained. When the whole of the flood plain was mider cultivation, 

 as well as the greater part of the delta, the annual flood was of para- 

 mount importance, and the extent to which its waters could be led 

 determined the maximum area which could be cultivated. Now 

 modern engineering science has supplied water at all seasons of the 

 year to both the valley and the delta, so that the flood has lost its 

 importance, and the low-stage supply of the river has become the 

 first consideration, so much so that heavy expenditure is incurred to 

 augment it in every possible way ; the natural resources of the coun- 

 try have been immensely increased by fully utilizing a climate which 

 favored the growth of vegetation throughout the year if water was 

 obtainable. 



88292— SM 1908 33 



