Egypt

Another early civilization was founded by the Egyptians in the Nile River valley. The waters of the Nile, the longest river in the world, were essential to the development of ancient Egypt. Every year the river gently flooded the valley, enriching the soil with silt and minerals. This fertile black soil made it possible for the Egyptians to grow a wide variety of foods. Without the Nile River, Egypt would have been nothing more than an empty desert. If the Nile River made it possible for Egyptian to live well, it also made it possible for the rulers of Egypt to live really well. These rulers built large palaces to show off their wealth. In time the rulers became known as pharaohs. The word pharaoh means “big house.” It wasn’t enough for a pharaoh to live in a great house; he also had to be buried in one. The pharaohs used slaves to build massive tombs called pyramids. Each new pharaoh wanted a grander tomb than the last pharaoh’s. The pyramids kept getting bigger and bigger. The largest tomb, called the Great Pyramid, was built in 2530 BCE. Its base covered 13 acres. The Egyptians developed their own system of writing called hieroglyphics. This system was based on a series of pictures showing common objects such as a human eye. Later, a group of people known as the Phoenicians used pictures or symbols to represent sounds. This was the first alphabet.