Egypt INTRODUCTION he Nile River flows from south to north through the land of Egypt bringing life to the narrow strips of land alongside its banks It was on that river that one of the world's first great civiliza tions arose People first settled along the Nile in Egypt more than 9 000 years ago Over time these settlers came together to form small towns and villages Those towns and villages in turn joined together into larger units until Egypt consisted of two kingdoms Lower Egypt in the north and Upper Egypt in the south According to tradition a ruler from Upper Egypt named Narmer or Menes conquered Lower Egypt and united the two kingdoms around 3100 B c He es tablished a civilization that would flourish for the next The winding Nile River attracted ancient peoples to its waters and fertile
BLACK SEA MEDITERRANEAN SEA nearly 3 000 years Those 3 000 years expelled around 1540 B C Egypt entered a were marked by ternating periods of unity and disunity period known as the New Kingdom which marked the height of its power and wealth Historians have given each period a unique By about 1075 B C the New Kingdo hom came name From Egypt s unification until the to an end as outside building of the first powers began to over EGYPT CIRCA I479 B c Pyramids around 2575 take Egypt's territory B c is the time known as the Early Dynastic Even as Egypt's government went through Period This was followed by the Old Kingdom periods of domina Dance and dec ine the king 2575 2130 B C during which Egypt s great dom's social structure remained remarkably est pyramids were built By the end of the Old stable At the top of Egyptian society was the Kingd dom Egypt's government had weakened ruler Below him was a small group of literate leading to the First Intermediate Period 2130 officials who held government offices served in 1938 B C when a number of rulers claimed to the priesthood and led the military The major be king simultaneously The Middle Kingdomity of the population served as laborers on farms 1938 1630 B C was marked by a strong cen or in workshops Few Egyptians ever moved out tralized government but eventually co of the social class into which they were born lapsed During the Second Intermediate Period Beginning in the Middle Kingdom however 1630 1540 B C peoples from southwest there were occasional instances of people born Asia known as the Hlyksos or foreign kings into lower class families rising to some of the took power in Egypt After the Hyksos were highest positions in the land The pyramids ancient Egypt are human made marvels providing us insight into the past
