Egypt

Egypt produced one of the principal civilizations of the ancient Middle East. With Mesopotamia, it was one of the earliest literate, urban societies. It provided a critical influence on ancient Israel, ancient Greece, and other cultures, which in turn influenced civilizations of the modern Western world. Egypt was the earliest advanced civilization in Africa and probably influenced the development of other African cultures. Egypt was home to Neolithic cultures by 6000 BCE; Thinite dynasty united Upper and Lower Egypt ca. 3100 BCE; on the path of Alexander the Great; Ptolemaic kingdom by 240 BCE; was an important Hellenistic center; then part of the Roman Empire until the Arab conquest in 640, then it was Mameluk and Ottoman. The ancient land was commonly discussed as having two regions based on the color of the soil, Black Land (Kermit) and Red Land (Deshret).