The Rise Of Ancient Egypt

Egypt is known as one of the oldest civilisations in history with a culture stretching back many thousands of years.  It begins with the Pre-Dynastic period with evidence going back to 17,000BC. In the period between 4000-3000BC Egypt was not yet united but many of the hallmarks of later culture were already established. Then about 3000BC came the unification of the two lands and the Archaic Period covering Dynasties 1-3. The first great flowering is in the Old Kingdom represented by Dynasties 4-6. This epoch sees the construction of the pyramids, breath taking works of art in the tombs of the nobles and the emergence of a full writing system. Then around 2200BC the whole system collapsed perhaps due to the effects of climate change. 

This course will examine Egyptian history down to the fall of the Old Kingdom and introduce some of the basic beliefs of this fascinating culture