Rich nobles kept crocodiles in pools as
ornamental additions to their homes. Temple priests kept crocodiles in
the temples. They were dressed in jewels, and roamed freely. They were not
caged. It must have been quite dangerous, but the crocodile was special to
the ancient Egyptians.
Their
beloved god Sobek was the god with a crocodile head. He was the god who
controlled water and marshes. The Nile was water. Everything in ancient Egypt depended
upon the Nile. The waters of the Nile
provided an easy route for trade. The Nile provided fish and other food to
eat. Crops grew easily in the rich soil left behind by the annual flooding
of the Nile.
