Note 4 — Chapter I · THE DAWN OF NILE EXPLORATION

The Biblical Yeôr. The Hebrews also called the Nile Shikhor, or the “Black.” The earliest Greek name for the river and country is Aiguptos (the origin of “Egypt”). Later the name Neilos (Nile) was given to the river. This became the later Arab and European Nilus, Nil, Nile, etc. The origin of the Greek names Aiguptos and Neilos is unknown, but Neilos may be derived from the Persian word nil = blue.