What is a cataract in ancient Egypt?

What is a cataract in ancient Egypt?

The Cataracts of the Nile are shallow lengths (or whitewater rapids) of the Nile River, between Khartoum and Aswan, where the surface of the water is broken by many small boulders and stones jutting out of the river bed, as well as many rocky islets.

What are the four types of cataracts?

4 Different Types of Cataracts

• Age-Related Cataracts. This type of cataract develops as a symptom of old age, especially in those who have smoked or had significant exposure to ultraviolet light.
• Congenital Cataracts.
• Secondary Cataracts.
• Traumatic Cataracts.

What does cataract mean in history?

Definition of cataract 1 [Middle English, from Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French catharacte, from Medieval Latin cataracta, from Latin, portcullis] : a clouding of the lens of the eye or of its surrounding transparent membrane that obstructs the passage of light. 2a obsolete : waterspout.

What does an Egyptian cataract do?

They block the waterway, since boats cannot safely carry cargo though. The six first cataracts of the River Nile were the main obstacles for boats sailing on the Nile in antiquity. Counted upstream (from north to south), the First Cataract is in modern Egypt; the rest are in Sudan.

What is the difference between a cataract and a waterfall?

A waterfall is an area where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision.

What is the rarest cataract?

Hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome is an extremely rare genetic disorder characterized by the early onset of cataracts associated with persistently elevated levels of ferritin in the blood plasma.

What causes cataract in older people?

Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up the eye’s lens. Proteins and fibers in the lens begin to break down, causing vision to become hazy or cloudy. Some inherited genetic disorders that cause other health problems can increase your risk of cataracts.

What is cataract in simple words?

A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye. For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window.

Why is it called cataract?

“Cataract” is derived from the Latin cataracta, meaning “waterfall”, and from the Ancient Greek καταρράκτης (katarrhaktēs), “down-rushing”, from καταράσσω (katarassō) meaning “to dash down” (from kata-, “down”; arassein, “to strike, dash”).

When was the first cataract?

The earliest documented case of cataract was reported to be in a museum in Cairo that houses a small statue from the 5th dynasty (about 2457-2467 B.C.E.) The wooden statue of a priest reader clearly has a white patch carved into the pupil of the left eye, and is thought to represent a cataract.

How did cataracts help Egypt?

The cataracts were river rapids. This shows that lands south of Egypt would have to travel by water to reach the civilization.This influenced life in the region because it protected the Egyptians, allowing them to create more inventions and expand their growing civilization.

The word cataract comes from the Greek word kataraktes meaning ” waterfall “. In ancient times, Upper Egypt extended from the Nile Delta to the first cataract, while farther upstream, the land was controlled by the ancient Kush civilization, that would later take over Egypt .

Who were the pharaohs of Egypt?

Pharaohs, the supreme leaders of ancient Egypt, were considered to be gods. They ruled over the entire land and were responsible for everyone in their kingdom. There are four important pharaohs to remember: Khufu, Senusret I, Hatshepsut, and Ramses II.