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Nilometer
Nilometers were used in Ancient Egypt to determine yearly taxation levels. Every year, torrential rains south of Egypt led to the flooding of the Nile. This much anticipated event held much influence over Egypt's history. In fact, one of the major roles of the priesthood was to predict the flooding of the Nile... its arrival, expected water levels, and the impact on the coming year's crops. A year of drought or with minimal flooding would lead starvation whilst a year of too much flooding would destroy croplands and any hope of a good harvest.
Although there were a variety of designs for nilometers, the basic premise in construction was the same. There would be markings or some other indicator showing how much the Nile had risen in a season. The priests would record the flood levels and this would dictate the level of taxation exacted for that year. In some cases, nilometers could only be accessed by the priests, particularly important because the priests' ability to forecast the level of flooding was so much a part of their mystique.
One of the best examples of a nilometer can be found at the Temple of Kom Ombo, near Aswan. The Kom Ombo nilometer is at the bottom of a deep well with markings along the edge. You walk down a circular stairwell to reach the area where you check the water's level. Lying further south, this nilometer was an early indicator of the beginning of the impending flood.
Today, the flooding of the Nile has been greatly stemmed with the construction of the High and Low Dams. The dams were built to stabilize the water levels, so that the Nile could be kept at a predictable level. Unfortunately, the slowing of the water has led to some encroachment by the Mediterranean Sea and to the erosion of the Nile Delta. Of course, the dams also stopped the sometimes deadly flooding of the powerful Nile.
