How Ancient Is Egyptian Civilisation?

Most historians put the beginning of Egyptian history as 3100 BC but there was plenty of human activity in the centuries before that. People were living in Egypt for thousands of years before the first Egyptian Dynasty, the name given to the ruling families, the pharaohs.

The Sahara desert used to be a green and fertile savannah and it was roamed by many animals. Nomadic tribes of people lived in the area, hunting the animals and collected food from the lush plantlife. These early people started the Egyptian habit of writing and drawing; they drew pictures on rocks and the earliest of these date to cattle herders in Nabta Playa. They built stone-circle calendars as long ago as 8000 BC.

The nomadic way of life last for over 400 years but they climate change turned the green savannah into a dry and hostile desert. People were forced to change their ways and the migrated to the banks of the river Nile. The flooding of the river meant that the area to either side of the river was very fertile and could be farmed and cultivated.

The ancient Egyptian civilisation prospered in this area for another 4000 years, and they left many great archaeological treasures, including temples and tombs.