beginnings

Beginnings of Egypt

The Egyptian people settled around the Nile River a long time ago. Every year the Nile flooded, creating silt, a rich fertile soil, along the banks of the river. This was perfect for growing crops, and even provided a natural irrigation system. The Nile River ran from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea. The odd thing is, the river flows from south to north! This meant that instead of having salty water from the Mediterranean Sea, it had fresh water from Lake Victoria.
After a while, the communities around the Nile formed two separate states during about 3000 B.C.E. These were called Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. Please don't be confused; Lower Egypt was higher than Upper Egypt. But since the Nile flowed up, Lower Egypt was actually "lower".
At around 31000 B.C.E., King Menes of Upper Egypt conqued Lower Egypt. He put together the crown from Upper and Lower Egypt and formed the double crown, the symbol for the ruler. King would also be called pharaohs. Over time, the Egyptian civilization would grow more advaned, and finally crumble. The length of the civilization is divided into three time periods: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom.

Map of Ancient Egypt
(Click to enlarge)

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The Old Kingdom

The Middle Kingdom

The New Kingdom

Egyptian Mythology

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