古埃及人因为埃及几乎从来不下雨，无法解释尼罗河每到7月的泛滥，就以为是天空都是水，然后天上有个洞，7月份就漏到尼罗河了。 这跟李白的”君不见黄河之水天上来“ 何其神似！
尼罗河对埃及人的时间理解也有很大的影响。跟我们现代人的linear time 观点不同的是，古埃及人认为有2种时间—一种是cyclic, 另一种则是eternity.
"Neheh is the time of cycles. It is associated with the movement of the Sun, the passage of the seasons and the annual flood of the Nile. It repeats; it recurs; it renews.
Djet on the other hand, is time without motion … The term is sometimes translated as ‘eternal’, but it also describes a state of completion. Something in djet time is finished but not past; it exists forever in the present …
Neheh was inspired by the cycles of the river valleys, while djet reflected the desert's timelessness."
他们的这个认知的原因据说是因为地理原因。尼罗河紧挨沙漠。尼罗河每年7月开始的泛滥季， 10月离去，这可不就是cyclic; 而沙漠则是永恒不变，故而eternity.
