Egypt is located to the North East of Africa astride the Nile Valley. At about 3400 B.C. the Red Land kingdom, stretching from the Nile Delta to around Atfih and the White Land Kingdom covering the region between Atfih and Gebel es-Silsila came into being. At the same time a southern Kingdom attempted to conquer the north Kingdoms at about 3200 B.C. However, it is King Menes who subdued the Northern Kingdoms forming the early dynasty between 3100 and 2686 B.C. Menes established the capital –White Walls (Memphis) to the extreme north at the apex of the River Nile delta. It is during this time when the initial ideologies on Kingship came into being. The main economic activity was farming as the periodical annual floods provided fertile silt fit for farming in the Nile Delta.
2686 and 2181 B.C. marked the dynasty of pharaohs that is also referred to as the Old Kingdom. During this period, stone construction, mainly of the pyramids, began. For example, the first main pyramid, the Step-Pyramid located at Saqqara around Memphis was constructed. Other pyramids were constructed at Giza. At this time, peace prevailed in Egypt. During the first intermediate period, 2181-2055 B.C. Heracleopolis ruled the region between Memphis and Thebes. At around 2055 B.C. Mentuhotep overthrew Heracleopolis uniting Egypt and gave birth to the Middle Kingdom between 2055 and 1786 B.C. The Middle Kingdom enjoyed relative peace and prosperity as the Old Kingdom. It established colonies, such as the Nubia defeating the Bedouins. Nubia was rich in ivory, ebony, and gold. During the reign of Amenemhet III (1842 to 1797 B.C.), the Middle Kingdom began to fall. Such lead to instability that made foreign rulers-Hyksos (Joshua Mark, 2009) at about 1650 B.C. to take advantage. However, at about 1570, the Hyksos were driven out of Egypt leading to the birth of the New Kingdom.
Work cited
Joshua Mark. Ancient Egypt. 2009/ retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu/egypt/ on October 7, 2014.
