Editing Ancient history (section)

=====Egypt=====
{{Main|Ancient Egypt}}
[[File:Egypt.Giza.Sphinx.01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Khafre's Pyramid]] ([[Fourth dynasty of Egypt|4th dynasty]]) and [[Great Sphinx of Giza]] ({{circa|2500 BC}} or perhaps earlier)|left]]

Ancient Egypt was a long-lived civilisation geographically located in north-eastern Africa. It was concentrated along the middle to lower reaches of the Nile River,{{sfn|Parker|2017|pp=62–63}} reaching its greatest extent during the 2nd millennium&nbsp;BC, which is referred to as the New Kingdom period.{{sfn|Parker|2017|pp=68–69}} It reached broadly from the [[Nile Delta]] in the north, as far south as [[Jebel Barkal]] at the [[Fourth Cataract]] of the Nile. Extensions to the geographical range of ancient Egyptian civilisation included, at different times, areas of the southern [[Levant]], the Eastern Desert and the Red Sea coastline, the [[Sinai Peninsula]],{{sfn|Hart-Davis|2012|p=64}} and the [[Libyan Desert|Western Desert]] (focused on the several [[oasis|oases]]).

Ancient Egypt developed over at least three and a half millennia.{{sfn|Parker|2017|pp=62–63}} It began with the incipient unification of Nile Valley polities around 3100 BC, traditionally under [[Menes]].{{sfn|Bentley|Ziegler|2006|p=63}} The civilisation of ancient Egypt was characterised primarily by intensive agricultural use of the fertile Nile Valley;{{sfn|Bentley|Ziegler|2006|p=62}} the use of the Nile itself for transportation;{{sfn|Bentley|Ziegler|2006|p=73}} the development of writing systems – first [[hieroglyphs]] and then later [[hieratic]] and other derived scripts – and [[literature]];{{sfn|Bentley|Ziegler|2006|p=75}} the organisation of collective projects such as the [[Egyptian pyramids|pyramids]];{{sfn|Hart-Davis|2012|pp=72–73}} [[trade]] with surrounding regions;{{sfn|Bentley|Ziegler|2006|pp=73–74}} and a [[polytheism|polytheistic]] religious tradition that included elaborate funeral customs including [[Egyptian mummy|mummification]].{{sfn|Bentley|Ziegler|2006|pp=77–78}} Overseeing these activities were a socio-political and economic [[elite]]{{sfn|Bentley|Ziegler|2006|pp=70–71}} under the figure of a (semi)-divine ruler from a succession of ruling [[dynasty|dynasties]].{{sfn|Hart-Davis|2012|pp=56–57}}

Ancient Egyptian history is divided across various periods, beginning with the [[Old Kingdom]], which saw pyramid building on a large scale. After 2100 BC, the Old Kingdom dissolved into smaller states during the [[First Intermediate Period]], which lasted about 100 years.{{sfn|Parker|2017|p=62}} The [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] began around 2000 BC with the reunification of Egypt under pharoes ruling from [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]]. The Middle Kingdom ended with the conquest of northern Egypt by the [[Hyksos]] around 1650 BC.{{sfn|Parker|2017|p=66}} The Hyksos were expelled from Egypt and the land was reunited in the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] around 1550 BC. This period lasted until about 1000 BC, and saw Egypt expand its borders into Palestine and Syria. The [[Third Intermediate Period]] was marked by the rule of priests as well as the conquest of Egypt by [[Nubia]]n kings and then later Assyria, Persia, and Macedonians.{{sfn|Parker|2017|pp=68-69}}