ABSTRACT

The research paper is a brief history of Egypt which covers all the aspects related to the development of Ancient Egypt to modern Egypt. The research paper contains the history, development, trade, transport, current and ancient economy, the role of women in Egypt and also discusses the population of Egypt. There is a contrast between the economy of ancient and modern Egypt and the comparison which was practiced before and now. The paper ends by discussing the future prospect of Egypt and the economic change which has taken in the past several years.

Egypt and the Outside World in the Middle Kingdom

Introduction

Until about 3000 B.C.E., Egypt was divided into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom, also called Lower Egypt, which included the Nile delta and the land from present-day Cairo to the sea; and the southern kingdom, or Upper Egypt, which covered the area south of Cairo to Aswan. The legendary king Menes unified the two kingdoms and inaugurated the beginning of ancient Egypt's golden age, or Old Kingdom. This was the time that witnessed the building of the pyramids and the rule of the pharaohs.

This kingdom lasted from 2663 to 2195 B.C.E., and it's most dramatic artistic expression, the pyramids, directly derived from the social and political beliefs that informed Egyptian society. Built with limestone and a complex organization of the workforce, the pyramids are a tribute to the pharaohs' immense power (Adams, 41-51). Such power stemmed from the belief that the pharaohs were divine descendants of the sun god. This belief was also supported by closely knit social networks of priests and soldiers that actively worked to support the pharaohs' power.

These rulers governed from the strategically located city of Memphis, which allowed them to control both the Lower and the Upper Kingdoms. Egypt was divided into 40 provinces led by governors appointed by the pharaoh. During the Old Kingdom, Egyptians promoted regional commercial networks, which included Arabia, Nubia, Lebanon, and Syria. Some of these networks also benefited from maritime trade, and Egyptian records provide the first written testimony of this form of commerce (Wikan, p. 112).

Egypt in the Middle Kingdom

During the transition period, there is a significant increase in local initiatives. It was the time there is a more convenient plow, allowing ease of plowing and improving the quality of soil and in agriculture and crafts, there are many new tools. They invent sometimes in very remote from each other nomes, they gradually spread throughout the country as a result of expansion of the domestic exchange, perfected the old guns.

By the end, Egyptians begin to use bronze (an alloy of copper and tin), however, and later in the production of basic metal remains pure copper. In animal husbandry, there are new, more productive breeds of cattle, eventually fully replacing the old longhorn breed. Progress was stimulated attempts to release as much as possible polynomials hands-free, designed to compensate to some degree of damage caused by the breach of the same for all countries of economic organization. Everything is new in the ...