Transcription: Moving Water Without water from the Nile, ancient Egyptians could not have farmed. To ensure that farms had water, the government ordered workers to maintain a series of canals and basins, human-made ponds. When the Nile flooded, water traveled down the canals and filled the basins. After the Nile receded, water from these basins provided water for the crops. The Egyptians used a device called a shidduf for lifting water. The Shaddouf had two long branches arranged so that the weight of a counterbalance on one branch helped lift a bucket on the other branch. The Shaddouf made it possible for o ...
(.mp3)