What was the annual flooding of the Nile called?

The story behind the answer

The annual flooding of the Nile was called the Inundation (Akhet). Each year, monsoon rains in the Ethiopian highlands swelled the river, which overflowed its banks and spread nutrient-rich silt across the fields. This predictable cycle made Egypt’s agriculture—and thus its civilization—possible.

Egyptians personified the flood as the god Hapi and measured water levels with nilometers; a strong Inundation meant prosperity and balance (Ma’at). Their calendar began with Akhet (Inundation), then Peret (Emergence), and Shemu (Harvest). Memory tip: “Inundate” literally means “to flood,” so Inundation is the name of the Nile’s life-giving flood.