Ancient Egypt was in northeastern Africa, adjacent to the Fertile Crescent. Being so close to the Cradle of Civilization helped ancient Egyptians also developed civilization. They no doubt traded both goods and ideas.

Like most ancient civilizations, ancient Egypt also developed along a river, the Nile. The Nile ran from the heart of Africa in the south to the Mediterranean Sea in the north. The Nile river divided the land into two types, black and red land.

The black land was the fertile, silt-rich farmland along the banks of the Nile. The Nile River deposited the silt every year when it flooded. This allowed the Egyptians to create the food surpluses that power civilization, specialization of labour, and the development of collective learning and technology.

The Egyptians also based their calendar on the seasons of the Nile:

• Akhet (June-September) The fields were flooded and there was no farming. Instead the farmers worked for the pharaoh, building pyramids or temples.
• Peret (October-February) The floodwaters receded and the farmers ploughed, seeded, and irrigated their fields.
• Shemu (March-May) The crops were harvested, processed (threshed and winnowed), redistributed, and stored.

Further from the Nile, to the east and the west, were the deserts of the red land. The deserts protected Egypt from invasion. It is difficult to cross a barren desert. There’s not enough water. The deserts also gave the Egyptians precious metals and semi-precious stones to trade and develop currency.