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Ancient Egypt was a civilization in eastern North
Africa concentrated along the middle to lower
reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern
nation of Egypt. The civilization began around 3150
BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower
Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over
the next three millennia. Its history occurred in a
series of stable periods, known as kingdoms,
separated by periods of relative instability known
as Intermediate Periods. After the end of the last
kingdom, known as the New Kingdom, the civilization
of ancient Egypt entered a period of slow, steady
decline, during which Egypt was conquered by a
succession of foreign powers. The rule of the
pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when the early
Roman Empire conquered Egypt and made it a province.
The civilization of ancient Egypt thrived from its
adaptation to the conditions of the Nile River
Valley. Controlled irrigation of the fertile valley
produced surplus crops, which fuelled social
development and culture. With resources to spare,
the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of
the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early
development of an independent writing system, the
organization of collective construction and
agricultural projects, trade with surrounding
regions, and a military that defeated foreign
enemies and asserted Egyptian dominance. Motivating
and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of
elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators
under the control of a divine pharaoh who ensured
the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people
through an elaborate system of religious beliefs. |
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