A River Built an Empire

Everything about ancient Egypt begins with the Nile. Every summer, the river flooded its banks and deposited rich black silt across the valley floor. This predictable cycle gave Egyptian farmers something almost no other ancient civilization had: reliable surplus agriculture.

The Nile did more than feed Egypt. It served as a natural highway connecting Upper and Lower Egypt across more than a thousand kilometers. Boats could sail south using the prevailing wind and float north with the current.