An introduction to the world of Ancient Egypt

Before the first pharaohs took control of Egypt, climate played a key role in the culture’s development. 

Egypt is located in north-east Africa. Most of northern Africa is covered by the Sahara Desert, and people can't survive in deserts without access to fresh water.

Therefore, rivers and lakes became key locations where communities and cities developed.

The largest river in all of Africa is the Nile, and this is where ancient Egypt would eventually spring from.

The Nile would become the most important location in all of ancient Egypt. All of the most famous Egyptian buildings and sites are located somewhere along this river. 

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 these deserts for fear of losing thousands of soldiers to dehydration.

The Nile is the longest river in the world, measuring 6650 kilometres (over 4000 miles) from its beginning in Tanzania and Ethiopia to its end at the Mediterranean Sea.

This river is not only important because it provided fresh water, but because it brought rich soil to Egypt every year during the annual flood.

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 colour of this soil, the people of ancient Egypt called the land along the river where they lived, the ‘Black Land’ (in ancient Egyptian, kemet), and they called the red sands of the desert around them the ‘Red Land’ (in ancient Egyptian, deshret).

The Nile was also the most important transport route for the Egyptians. Travelling 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, also provided materials for making buildings, clothes, and even paper from the papyrus plant.

The ancient Egyptian culture began around 3100 BC when the first pharaohs took control of Egypt.

The very first pharaoh was known as King Narmer (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 first-born male child to keep it in the family.

One family line could control Egypt for centuries. A period of time 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 the 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 Manetho to write him a book about Egyptian history.

Manetho organised his history around these dynasties.

Modern historians then developed a chronology of ancient Egyptian history based upon his work.

They also divided Egypt’s 3000-year history into three large sections, called ‘kingdoms’, known as the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.

These kingdom periods indicated when Egypt was controlled by pharaohs.

However, there were times when pharaohs lost control and the country fell into civil war.

These periods of civil wars were known as Intermediate Periods.

Using the work of Manetho and modern historians, this is what Egyptian history looks like: