Like the advanced civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt relied upon water in order for its people to survive the harsh desert conditions for which they lived. In fact, Egypt sits entirely within the largest desert in the world, the Sahara Desert. Running through the heart of Eqypt, however, is the the longest river in the entire world, the Nile. The Nile River becomes the sole reason why people can settle in this part of the world and like the people of Mesopotamia, Egyptians learn to control water and its fickle tendencies. Like today, water from the Nile River was controlled by a vast irrigation system that allowed farmers to grow crops well inland from the rich muddy shores of the river.

Unlike Mesopotamia, however, Egypt quickly and rather peacefully, united into one empire under the rule of one king. Later in history, the king became known as a Pharaoh. The first king, the mythical Menes, was thought to have united Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt sometime around c 3200 BCE. For almost 3,000 years, Egypt was ruled more or less by stability. It was not until the rise of Rome when the final Queen of Egypt, the infamous Cleopatra, died in an attempt to fight for the empire that she grew to love. 

Throughout this saga, monumental leaders and their accomplishments are revealed along with the extraordinary achievements in art and architecture, two of the longest lasting accomplishments of this fascinating time period. On the other hand, strict social order and hierarchy keep ordinary people such as farmers, artisans, and slaves from ever dreaming of one day ruling over one of the greatest empires of all time.