188Ancient Egypt
From about 6,000 years ago, cities began to appear
along the banks of large rivers. The civilizations in
Egypt and Mesopotamia (now Iraq) were the earliest.
Around 3000 BCE, Egypt was unified to become the
first superstate under the rule of a pharaoh (king).
The Nile River The first
ancient Egyptians were able to
establish farming communities
in this otherwise desert
landscape, all thanks to the
Nile River. Annual
flooding kept the land
on either side of the
river fertile and
watered the
crops.Tombs for the pharaohs
Vast, towering tombs were
built by the pharaohs for their
journey to the afterlife to
become a god. The largest
pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu
(reign 2589-66 BCE)
took about 20 years
to build and was
made from over
two million
limestone
blocks.PYRAMIDS AT GIZAThe pyramids at Giza near Cairo, Egypt, were
built over 4,000 years ago. The Great
Pyramid is the only surviving monument of
the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.One of the smaller
pyramids for Khufu’s wivesSahara
DesertMEDITERRANEAN^ SEANile RiverHISTORY AND POLITICS
Inside, passages led to
burial chambers
where the pharaoh
was buried with his
belongings.(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.