Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization in eastern North
Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River
in what is now the modern nation of Egypt. The civilization
began around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and
Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over the
next three millennia. Its history occurred in a series of stable
periods, known as kingdoms, separated by periods of relative
instability known as Intermediate Periods. After the end of the
last kingdom, known as the New Kingdom, the civilization of
ancient Egypt entered a period of slow, steady decline, during
which Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers. The
rule of the pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when the early
Roman Empire conquered Egypt and made it a province. The
civilization of ancient Egypt thrived from its ability to adapt
to the conditions of the Nile River Valley. Controlled
irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which
fueled social development and cultu