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Egypt

To the land of Kem the ancient Greeks gave the name Egypt, which means “mystery, mystery,” and Egypt fully justifies this name. And the ancient Egyptians themselves called their country Ta-Meri – the Land of the Beloved.

Ancient Egypt existed only because of the Nile, which stretched for six thousand kilometers across northeast Africa. All ancient Egyptian cities were built in the valley of this river. The life of the ancient Egyptians, their economy, culture, and religion depended on the annual floods of the Nile. The muddy waters, rich in minerals and organic matter, irrigated (and still do) agricultural land. The river flooded vast floodplain areas, increasing soil fertility. After the water flowed down, the valley residents began sowing cereals such as barley. Reeds also grew along the banks and were used to make the principal writing material of ancient times.

History of Ancient Egypt

In the 4th millennium BC from many small territorial formations – nomes – emerged two political associations – Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt (with capitals in Hierakonpol and Buto).

In the fourth century BC Ancient Egypt was Hellenized: the Nile Valley became part of the Macedonian Empire. After Alexander the Great’s death, his empire collapsed and the Ptolemaic dynasty came to power in Egypt. However, during his lifetime, the king and military leader managed to set the direction of development of the country.

A new capital, Alexandria, was built in the estuary and became one of the centers of dissemination of Greek culture, science and art. Here were located the Library of Alexandria and one of the Seven Wonders of the World – a 120-meter lighthouse, where Euclid and Archimedes studied and worked.

Naturally, the water level of the Nile during the floods varied from year to year. Floods were sometimes strong, sometimes weak. Ptolemaic Egypt learned how to mitigate the risks with additional measures and adaptations. Lands that did not receive enough moisture were irrigated with mechanisms such as the chigiri, a wheel with buckets that fed water from the river to a system of water channels. In the worst case, trade with neighboring states saved the situation.