Introduction to the world of Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt is one of the best known of all ancient societies because it is so weird and mysterious. Giant pyramids, lost tombs full of treasure, and strange half-animal gods have fascinated people for thousands of years. Since it is so different to us, it is important to know a few things in order to understand how they thought and lived. So here are the 10 things you must know about the world of Ancient Egypt. Climate has played a key role in Ancient Egypt. Egypt itself is located in northeast Africa. Most of northern Africa is covered by the Sahara Desert and people quickly die in deserts without access to fresh water. Even though the deserts to the east and west of the Nile were considered extremely dangerous, they also provided safety for the Egyptians. Other nations did not want to march their armies across the deserts for fear of losing thousands of soldiers to dehydration. Due to the harsh desert environment, rivers and lakes became the most important locations where communities and cities would develop. The Nile was the most important location in all of Ancient Egypt. It is the largest river in all of Africa and this is where ancient Egyptian culture developed. The Nile is 6,500 kilometers long, which is about 4,000 miles. The start of the Nile is in Ethiopia and the end is in the Nile Delta at the Mediterranean Sea. All of the most famous Egyptian buildings and sites are located somewhere along this river. The Nile is not only important because it provided fresh water, but because it brought rich farming soil to Egypt every year. In spring, heavy rains in Ethiopia would produce floods which flowed throughout Egypt. As the flood waters receded, rich black fertile soil was left across the banks of the Nile. This helped Egyptians grow lots of crops every year. Due to the distinctive black color of this soil dropped during the flooding, the people of Ancient Egypt called the land along the river where they lived the Black Land. In Ancient Egyptian, it is pronounced Kemet. They also called the red sands of the desert around them the Red Land. In Ancient Egyptian, it is Deshret. The Nile was also the most important transport route for the Egyptians. Traveling by foot in the desert was slow and dangerous. Therefore, most people preferred to sail up and down the Nile on boats. It was quicker, safer, and more reliable. Those sailing down the Nile from south to north could simply use the river current to move, while those sailing up the river from north to south had to use the wind to move against the current. The plants and trees that grew along the river, particularly in the delta region in the north, provided materials for making buildings, clothes, and even paper from the papyrus plant. The Ancient Egyptian culture began around 3100 BC, when the first pharaoh took control of Egypt. The very first pharaoh was known as King Nama, or in Greek, Menes. He was able to maintain military control over most of the Nile in Egypt, and set up his capital city in Memphis. The role of the pharaoh began as a military warlord who had the power to capture the entire land and maintain control. However, it also became a religious position, as it was believed that the pharaoh was a god. As a result, the pharaoh usually passed his power onto his firstborn male child to keep it in the family. The period known as Ancient Egypt lasted for about 3,000 years, from 3100 BC to 30 BC. One family line could control Egypt for centuries. The period when one family was in power was called a dynasty. However, there were times in Egyptian history where a pharaoh did not have a son to pass power to, or he was overthrown by someone else who wanted to be pharaoh. As a result, one family's control was replaced by another. A new dynasty started when a new family took power from the old one. These dynasties became a useful way of measuring time in Ancient Egypt. In the 3rd century BC, Pharaoh Ptolemy I asked a priest called Menetho to write a book about Egyptian history. Menetho organized his history around these dynasties. Modern historians developed a timeline of Ancient Egyptian history based upon Menetho's work. They also divided Egypt's 3,000 year history into three large sections called kingdoms. There was the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. These kingdom periods indicated when Egypt was controlled by pharaohs. However, there were times when pharaohs lost control of the country and it fell into civil war. These periods of civil wars were known as the intermediate periods. There we go, now you'll better understand the crazy and wonderful world of Ancient Egypt. See you next time.