Nilometer

Because of Elephantine’s long history, not just one but several Nilometer, used for measuring the water level of the Nile, were constructed over the course of time, employing a variety of different methods. With the arrival of the annual inundation at Egypt’s southern frontier, this system of measuring the water level provided reliable data on the extent of this natural phenomenon. Agricultural work was organized and taxes calculated on the basis of these measurements. In the event of a flood of catastrophic proportions, they allowed for the implementation of such security measures as could still be taken.

A simple inlet in the eastern river wall caused the water to flow into a 16 m-high stairwell which today still displays a measuring scale dating from the Roman period. In the 19th century this Nilometer was brought back into operation as displayed by the later scale markings on marble plaques.

The Nilometer immediately to the south of the Khnum temple terrace is of a completely different design. The measuring well (approx. 11 x 8 m) built of large square blocks of stone was described by the Greek geographer Strabo (1st century B.C) and displays two scales, one of which indicates the flood level over and above the average height of the fields of Upper Egypt.