While I am familiar with the general outline of Egyptian history, every section had something new to say to me that enriched my understanding or revealed some aspect I hadn't considered or known. A few of the many examples I could list include the political unification of the Nile Valley c. 3000 BC. It began with the rise of three power centers (Tjeni, Nubt and Nekhen) and ended when Tjeni's ruler (the man we know as Narmer or Menes) conquered his rivals to inaugurate the First Dynasty. From its birth, Egypt displayed many of the stereotypical images moderns associate with it, including the absolute despotism of the pharaohs. Or there's Hatshep

Ancient climate experts point to the Nile’s low water levels as a key factor behind the declining economic power and social adhesion of ancient Egypt. However, a two to a three-decade period of erratic flooding by the Nile during the later time of the Egyptian Empire appears to have destroyed crops and starved thousands of people leading to ruinous population losses. Economic Factors

Furthermore, humans were seen as an incarnation of the God Horus, and to be descendants of the Sun god Re. Kings (Pharaohs) were believed to come to heaven and thus become Re, while his servants became Horus. Thus, Egyptians saw their leaders as godly beings. Set (/Set) was another deity in Egyptian mythology, he represented all things chaos. It was the Kings duty to stop him from intruding into the kingdom. Dr Toby Wilkinson joined the International Strategy Office in July 2011, working with the Pro Vice Chancellor (Jennifer Barnes) to support the schools, faculties and departments in their international engagements, and to develop the University's international strategy, particularly with regard to research collaborations and relationships with the EU, US, India and China. Prior to this, Dr Wilkinson was the Development Director at Clare College as well as Chairman of Cambridge Colleges Development Group. Over roughly one hundred years, Egypt was beset by unseasonably dry spells, the annual Nile floods became unreliable and water levels dropped due to low rainfall. Spates of cold weather also stressed Egypt’s warm weather crops impacting its harvests.

A divisive civil war combined with successive Assyrian invasions sapped the vigour of the Egyptian military opening the way for an invasion by the Persian empire and the usurpation of the Egyptian pharaoh

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First, the once dominant and unquestioned role of the Pharaoh was evolving. The murder of the Pharaoh Ramses III (c. 1186 to 1155 BC), possibly the last great Pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty created a power vacuum. After the New Kingdom, Egypt was ruled by a succession of foreign powers, further evidence of its decline as an independent empire. The next generation only got worse as Euegetes and Cleopatras III’s children fought for ultimate power.