The Development of an ‘Incidental’ Form of Aquaculture During the Late Old Kingdom? Cattle as ‘Marshland Modifiers’ of the Nilotic Marshes and Their Potential Impact upon Old Kingdom Fishing Behaviors

Abstract

During the latter half of the Old Kingdom, Egypt experienced irregular water supply. Lower than normal inundations resulted in nutrients normally lost from the river remaining within it. Over the same time, unusually strong rainfall events occurred, transferring even more nutrients into the river. These excess nutrients changed the ecology, affecting the local environment. These changes may have influenced the ecological characteristics of the riverine habitat, and how society responded and adapted. In the latter half of the Old Kingdom, depictions of cattle fording increased, suggesting that cattle were able to take advantage of the plants that now flourished upon the riverbanks as a result of the excess nutrients available. As the movement of cattle across the various river channels increased, the physical structures of the marshlands changed, which may have impacted upon those organisms also exploiting those areas, and affected fishing practices therein. Were these responses accidental, incidental, or co-incidental?