Ancient Egypt New
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Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient
Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the
Nile River in what is now the modern country of
Egypt. It is one of six civilizations to arise independently.
Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and coalesced around
3150 BC (according to conventional
Egyptian chronology)[1] with the political unification of
Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh
Narmer (commonly referred to as Menes).[2] The history of ancient Egypt occurred in a series of stable
Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate
Periods: the
Old Kingdom of the
Early Bronze Age, the
Middle Kingdom of the
Middle Bronze Age and the
New Kingdom of the
Late Bronze Age.
Egypt reached the pinnacle of its power in the New Kingdom, during the
Ramesside period, where it rivalled the
Hittite Empire,
Assyrian Empire and Mitanni
Empire, after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt was invaded or conquered by a succession of foreign powers, such as the Canaanites/
Hyksos,
Libyans, the
Nubians, the
Assyrians, Babylonians, the
Achaemenid Persians, and the
Macedonians in the
Third Intermediate Period and the
Late Period of Egypt. In the aftermath of
Alexander the Great's death, one of his generals,
Ptolemy Soter, established himself as the new ruler of Egypt. This
Greek Ptolemaic Kingdom ruled Egypt until 30 BC, when, under
Cleopatra, it fell to the
Roman Empire and became a
Roman province.[3]
The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which supported a more dense population, and 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 intended to defeat foreign enemies and assert Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a pharaoh, who ensured the cooperation and unity of the
Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of religious beliefs.[
4][5]
The many achievements of the ancient
Egyptians include the quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that supported the building of monumental pyramids, temples, and obelisks; a system of mathematics, a practical and effective system of medicine, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, the first known planked boats,[6]
Egyptian faience and glass technology, new forms of literature, and the earliest known
peace treaty, made with the Hittites.[7] Egypt left a lasting legacy. Its art and architecture were widely copied, and its antiquities carried off to far corners of the world. Its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travelers and writers for centuries. A new-found respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period by
Europeans and Egyptians led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy.[8]
- published: 21 May 2016
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