Nilometer

The Nilometer in Aswan

The Nilometer dates back to the Roman era and it shows the scales of the Nile flood in Arabic and Greek languages. It had been practiced till late.

This Nilometer is one of the most whole relics of Elephantine Island. Remember that a Nilometer was in fact an cat's-paw. Dissimilar many types of artifacts, an tool and particularly an instrument as important as the Nilometer had to be kept in a state of repair to be functional. The Elephantine Nilometer has been dated to Roman times, with markings in cubits (about 2 1/3 inches). Yet, this was likely only a renovation, and while all of the special pieces have been substituted at some point, there has probably been a Nilometer here, are close here for as long as Nilometer have existed. There are dedications from the reigns of Tuthmosis III and Amenophis III (18th Dynasty) and of Psammetichus II (26th Dynasty) about here. Afterward having been idle for some time, the Nilometer was again rebuilt by the French and Arab during the 19th Century and placed back in use. Hence, it now has markings in French and Arabic. Today, satellites are applied to measure water flushes, and the Aswan Dam has alleviated the need for such instruments.