CultureAugust 24, 2026

nilometers

NY-luh-mee-terz

Definition

Ancient measuring devices, such as stone pillars or stepped wells, used along the Nile River to track the height of its annual floodwaters.

Etymology

The word is a hybrid construction derived from the Latin 'Nilus' (the Nile River) and the Greek 'metron' (measure). It was coined to describe the specific gauging instruments used in Egypt since antiquity.

In the news

In the article, the author explains how historians use nilometers as proxies to estimate ancient harvests and gauge the nutrition levels of the Roman Empire's population.

How the first pandemic in history shook the Roman Empire

Read the full article ↗

ZME Science

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