THEBES, THE RIVERBANKS OF ETERNITY

On the trail of History

An episode from the series THE SECRET OF THE STONES

Synopsis

For the Pharaonic civilization, the Nile was more than a river. For the Egyptians, it held a symbolic meaning, as its east bank represented life on earth while the west side represented life after death. This belief became the rationale for the urban development of the cities of Ancient Egypt.

Recent archaeological discoveries in Thebes, in High Egypt, have shown how much this opposing vision – one river bank for the living and the other for the dead – has restricted urban growth.