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Crocodiles made it dangerous to go to the water’s edge.

ANOTHER REASON TO HATE DOING LAUNDRY

The river provided much

more than farmland. The ancient Egyptians also hunted fish and birds there. They grew reeds along the riverbank to make boats, baskets, and paper. The fastest way to travel was on the river, too.

Surprisingly, it was men, not women, who washed the clothes in the Nile in ancient Egypt. In most other societies, washing was seen as women’s work. But in ancient Egypt, washing the clothes could be pretty dangerous—thanks to the large crocodiles that live and hunt at the water’s edge!

8 THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS: EGYPTIANS