Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
Ancient Egypt might be one of the most familiar ancient civilizations. The Great Pyramids of Giza and the opulent life of pharaohs and their tombs caught the imagination of people throughout history. Later Egyptians, like Cleopatra, even hired archaeologists to excavate their own history. Ancient Egypt first began to evolve in 5000 BCE around the Nile River in Africa. At the beginning, there were two kingdoms in Egypt, one in the north that was focused around the delta of the Nile River (a delta is a triangular shaped area of incredibly fertile soil at the mouth of a river) and one in the south. Around 3100 BCE, the two kingdoms were united. The Old Kingdom, the name of the time period that spans around 2686-2181 BCE, is where the massive building projects were completed. The Giza Complex, where the three famous pyramids, the Sphinx, and many other buildings were built. The pyramids at Giza are not the only ones found in Egypt, nor were they the first ones built in Egypt - there are over 100 pyramids throughout the Egyptian kingdom that were built during this time. The Middle Kingdom (2055-1786 BCE) saw Egypt looking outside their borders and conquering neighboring settlements and setting up trade agreements. The New Kingdom (1567-1085 BCE) saw the rise of powerful pharaohs, including Hatshepsut, one of the earliest female rulers in Egypt. During this time period, pharaohs were buried underground in tombs cut from the desert rock in the Valley of the Kings. Following the long-lasting burial practices of the ancient Egyptians, the pharaohs were buried with vast amounts of riches, which made the tombs popular plundering locations for the thieves brave enough to risk the supposed curses placed on these tombs. This was the period of the famous Tutankamun, who is famous for his tomb that was discovered in 1922 completely intact.
In 332 BCE, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. After his death, control of Egypt was passed to one of his generals and Egypt was ruled by a line of Macedonian kings. The last of these Macedonian rulers was the famous Cleopatra, who surrendered Egypt to Augustus Caesar and the Romans. Egypt fell under the control of Rome for six centuries, until being conquered by the Arabs in the seventh century CE. The introduction of Islam and the adoption of Arabian culture would rid Egypt of the last vestiges of their ancient culture and begin its transition into its modern incarnation.