Claim: Ancient Egypt began under Narmer, the first pharaoh.

Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient Northeastern Africa , concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in the place which is now the country Egypt . It is one of six historic civilizations to arise independently . Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and coalesced around 3150 BC -LRB- according to conventional Egyptian chronology -RRB- with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh , Narmer -LRB- commonly referred to as Menes -RRB- . The history of ancient Egypt occurred as a series of stable kingdoms , separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods : the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age , the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age and the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age .   Egypt reached the pinnacle of its power in the New Kingdom , during the Ramesside period , where it rivalled the Hittite Empire , Assyrian Empire and Mitanni Empire , after which it entered a period of slow decline . Egypt was invaded or conquered by a succession of foreign powers , such as the Canaanites/Hyksos , Libyans , the Nubians , the Assyrians , Babylonians , the Achaemenid Persians , and the Macedonians in the Third Intermediate Period and the Late Period of Egypt . In the aftermath of Alexander the Great 's death , one of his generals , Ptolemy Soter , established himself as the new ruler of Egypt . This Greek Ptolemaic Kingdom ruled Egypt until 30 BC , when , under Cleopatra , it fell to the Roman Empire and became a Roman province .   The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture . The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops , which supported a more dense population , and social development and culture . With resources to spare , the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions , the early development of an independent writing system , the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects , trade with surrounding regions , and a military intended to defeat foreign enemies and assert Egyptian dominance . Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes , religious leaders , and administrators under the control of a pharaoh , who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of religious beliefs .   The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians include the quarrying , surveying and construction techniques that supported the building of monumental pyramids , temples , and obelisks ; a system of mathematics , a practical and effective system of medicine , irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques , the first known planked boats , Egyptian faience and glass technology , new forms of literature , and the earliest known peace treaty , made with the Hittites . Egypt left a lasting legacy . Its art and architecture were widely copied , and its antiquities carried off to far corners of the world . Its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travelers and writers for centuries . A new-found respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period by Europeans and Egyptians led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy .