The Nile, more than 6,000 kilometers long, originates in the central African plateau, and every year in early July, torrential rains and flash floods erupt in the upstream area, and the turbid river roars through canyons and shoals, from south to north, pouring down. In September, the water was at its strongest, engulfing all the valleys and forming a zealous country. It was not until the end of October, after the rainy season, that the river flowed into the riverbed as it descended. But a layer of silt that accumulates during the flooding period is a good fertilizer for grain growth.
In the middle and lower reaches of the Nile, there is a narrow strip of land. It was 3 to 16 kilometers wide and started from the southern border of present-day Egypt to the vicinity of Cairo, the capital of Egypt. When we arrived in Cairo, we gradually opened up. This is the famous Nile Delta.
This world-famous river brought abundant water and fertile land to Egypt, as well as life and prosperity. Around 5000 or 6000 BC, the ancient Egyptians gradually settled here. At first, they lived a primitive life, using crude tools, clearing the grass on both sides, opening canals and dams, and planting crops on land irrigated by river water; later, finally, this area with a dry climate became a famous granary in ancient times.
With the development of the economy, ancient Egypt began to slowly enter the slave society from the primitive society. However, around 4000 BC, Egypt had not yet formed a unified state. At that time, there were about 40 states in Egypt, each with its own gods, and later there were armies and flags used to represent its own tribes, which were actually small independent kingdoms. After a long period of war and annexation between the states, the narrow Nile Valley was divided into two large independent kingdoms in the north and south. In the north, it is called the Kingdom of Lower Egypt, and the king wears a red crown, with the serpent god as the protective god and the bee as the national emblem. The southern part is called the Kingdom of Upper Egypt, where the king wears a white crown, a condor as the protective deity, and a white lily as the national emblem.
There were frequent wars in Upper and Lower Egypt. Around 3000 BC, Upper Egypt gradually became stronger, and King Menes personally led a large army to attack Lower Egypt.
The two armies fought a decisive battle in the Nile Delta. Menes wears a white crown on his head, and the crown is decorated with a condor, personally supervising the battle in front of Chen. In the midst of the shouts, two sabers and guns flashed, and countless military and political scenes painted with white lilies or bees were intricately intertwined, and the fighting was inextricably divided. After three days and three nights of fierce fighting, the Lower Egyptian army was finally defeated. The king of Lower Egypt stood in front of a group of captives, took off his red crown, and then knelt on the ground and offered it to Menes with both hands.
In order to commemorate the victory of this war, Menes named the site of this decisive battle "White City". Later, it became the city of Memphis, the capital of the unified ancient Egyptian kingdom.
On the second day of his surrender, Menes feasted on the heroes in the White City and was knighted. Since then, Menes has called himself the "King of Upper and Lower Egypt", sometimes wearing a white crown, sometimes a red crown, and sometimes two crowns together, symbolizing the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt.
After the unification of Egypt, a set of authoritarian ruling institutions was gradually established. The supreme ruler of the country is the king, and there are various officials under the king. Every year, an inventory of the population, land, livestock and all wealth of the country is sent to determine the amount of taxation.
The king was seen as sacrosanct. Stone carvings and frescoes once painted the king as a giant god, or in the shape of a condor or serpent. Later, people no longer called the king by his name, but honored him as "Pharaoh" (meaning "palace", equivalent to ancient China calling the emperor "His Majesty").
"Dear Pharaoh, you are wise and wise, and you must be more divine than a god..." When the ministers came to the king, they were to say such praises, and they had to crawl before the throne, chest to the ground, kiss the dust under the king's feet, and not look up casually.
Beginning with the unification of Egypt by Menes in the 30th century BC, Egypt entered the pre-kingdom period. Until the 11th century BC, there were several eras such as the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. Since then, Egypt has gradually declined, and has been invaded by Libya and Assyria. It was incorporated into Roman territory in 30 BC.
Ancient Egypt was one of the birthplaces of world civilization. The ancient Egyptian people had a considerable influence on Western Asia and Europe in terms of writing, calendar, art, and scientific knowledge, and made indelible contributions to mankind.