Ancient Egypt :


INTRODUCTION Ancient Egypt, homeland of the Egyptian civilization, one of the earliest and greatest civilizations, which began in about 3100 BC, flourished for over 2,000 years up until 1070 BC, and ended in about 30 BC. Ancient Egyptian civilization was remarkable for its richness and sophistication, seen not only in the great monuments that to this day bear witness to the power of pharaohs and the skill of engineers, but also in its evolved system of government, the invention of irrigation and picture-writing, the beginnings of astronomy, mathematics, and medicine, and in its pantheon of deities and concepts of life after death, and great artistic skill. So much is this true that the Greek historian Herodotus, writing in the early 5th century BC, observed that “there is no country that possesses so many wonders, nor any that has such a number of works which defy description”.
Modern knowledge about life in ancient Egypt is derived in large measure from the great monuments and tombs that still exist today and from the findings of archaeology, which have revealed a wealth of objects, preserved in the arid climate. A significant facet of Egyptology is the information provided by writings in hieroglyphic script; covering the walls of tombs and temples, obelisks, and columns, and found on clay tablets and in contemporary manuscripts, these writings describe various aspects of life in ancient Egypt, from the greatness of kings to medicinal cures and the minutiae of tax revenue. However, were it not for the Rosetta Stone, this hieroglyphic script might still be indecipherable today. Ancient Egyptian civilization began around 3,100 BC, when the kingdoms of Lower Egypt (on the Nile delta) and Upper Egypt (south of the delta) were unified by the legendary king, Menes, who ruled from the capital, Memphis. The period known as the Old Kingdom was established in 2686 BC: it was during the Old Kingdom that hieroglyphic writing developed and the great pyramids were built. The Middle Kingdom (1991-1786 BC) was a period of prosperity, when Nubia, taken by conquest, became part of the kingdom of Egypt and trade links in Asia were established. During the New Kingdom (1554-1196 BC), when the capital was moved to Thebes, the Egyptian Empire was at its greatest and Egyptian civilization reached its zenith ... .

To be continued .