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Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over the next two millennia. Ancient Egypt reached its pinnacle during the New Kingdom, after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers in this late period, and the rule of the pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when the early Roman Empire conquered Egypt and made it a province.

Egypt has left a lasting legacy for all to see. Its art and architecture has been widely copied, and its antiquities have been carried off to the far corners of the world. Egypt's monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travelers and writers for centuries. A newfound respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy for the earth.

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The Kingdom of Makuria was a kingdom located in what is today Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt. It was one of a group of Nubian kingdoms that emerged during the decline of the Aksumite Empire, of which it had been part. Makuria originally covered the area along the Nile River from the Third Cataract to somewhere between the Fifth and Sixth Cataracts. It also had control over the trade routes, mines, and oases to the east and west. Its capital was Dongola and the kingdom is sometimes known by the name of its capital. Makuria is much better known than its neighbor Alodia to the south, but there are still many gaps in our knowledge. The origins of Makuria are uncertain. Ptolemy mentions a Nubian people known as the Makkourae, who might be ancestors to the Makurians.^[1] The kingdom is believed to have formed in the 4th or 5th century.

One of the most debated issues among scholars is over the religion of Makuria. Up to the fifth century the old Egyptian mythology seems to have remained strong, even while its counterpart in Egypt disappeared. In the fifth century the Nubians went so far as to launch an invasion of Egypt when the Christians there tried to turn some of the main temples into churches.

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Did you know...

• ... that in spite of the extensive work it required to be made, the Gebel el-Arak Knife (pictured) was never used?
• ... that the death of pharaoh Huni is reported in the instructions of Kagemni?
• ... that ancient Egyptians believed that an opening of the mouth ceremony was necessary for a person's soul to survive in the afterlife?
  More did you knows...

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Amenhotep I (sometimes read as Amenophis I and meaning "Amun is satisfied") was the second Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. His reign is generally dated from 1526 to 1506 BC. He was born to Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari, but had at least two elder brothers, Ahmose-ankh and Ahmose Sapair, and was not expected to inherit the throne. However, sometime in the eight years between Ahmose I's 17th regnal year and his death, his heir apparent died and Amenhotep became crown prince. He then acceded to the throne and ruled for about 21 years.

Although his reign is poorly documented, it is possible to piece together a basic history from available evidence. He inherited the kingdom formed by his father's military conquests and maintained dominance over Nubia and the Nile Delta, but probably did not attempt to keep power in Syria-Canaan. He continued to rebuild temples in Upper Egypt, and revolutionized mortuary complex design by separating his tomb from his mortuary temple, setting a trend which would persist throughout the New Kingdom. After his death, he was deified into the patron god of Deir el-Medina.

Amenhotep was deified upon his death and made the patron deity of the village which he opened at Deir el-Medina. His mother, who lived at least one year longer than he did, was also deified upon her death and became part of his litany. When being worshiped, he had three deific manifestations: "Amenhotep of the Town," "Amenhotep Beloved of Amun," and "Amenhotep of the Forecourt," and was known as a god who produced oracles. Some of the questions asked of him have been preserved on ostraca from Deir el-Medina, and appear to have been phrased in such a way that the idol of the king could nod (or be caused to nod) the answer.

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Ancient News

January 2011: Archaeologists discovered a tomb - KV64 - in the Valley of the Kings. The coffin found in the tomb contained an intact mummy of Nehmes Bastet, a temple singer during Egypt's 22nd Dynasty.(1)

November 2010: The Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt says archaeologists have unearthed 12 more sphinx statues along the ancient avenue connecting Luxor and Karnak temples.(2)

April 2010: A new 19th Dynasty tomb in Tell el-Maskhuta is discovered. The tomb belongs to a noble named Ken-Amun

March 2010: A new translation of the Philae Victory Stele reveals the name of Augustus in cartouches.

March 2010: More statues of Amenhotep III are found at Kom el-Hettan.

March 2010: The ruins of the pyramid of Queen Behenu are discovered.

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• History
  • Ancient Near East
    • Ancient Egypt
      • Religion work group
  • Archaeology

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Here are some tasks you can do: Article requests: We should have an article on every pharaoh and every nome (law) in ancient Egypt. Let's check to see whether every important Egyptologist has an article. Surely, we can think of other articles that we should have. Cleanup: To begin, most of the general-history, and at least some of the dynasty, articles badly need work. Are there any other candidates? Expand: "Standardize the Chronology": This is a boring task, but the benefit of doing it is that you can set the dates! Why say Khufu lived between 2589 and 2566 BCE? As long as you keep the length of his reign correct, or cite a respected source, you can date it 2590-2567 BCE or 2585-2563 BCE. Expand Ancient Egyptian philosophy Infobox: Add an infobox or navbox to any article that doesn't have one yet. Stubs: Anyone? Update: Any article with dated (obsolete) information. Verify: Fix / reclaim the Great Pyramid of Giza. Wikify: "Data sorting": Take one of the standard authorities of history or culture -- the writings of Herotodus, the Elder Pliny, J. H. Breasted, or Kenneth Kitchen -- and see whether you can smoothly merge quotations or information into relevant articles. This is probably a good exercise for someone who owns one of those impressive texts yet can't access a research library.

Hi Wikiproject members: Ihf cruised on to the portal to find information on "Egyptians as presented in the Bible" (ideally correlated with research), but I didn't find anything as such. I'm possibly just using the wrong search terms, but on the off-chance this isn't covered, I'd like to recommend it as an article topic. Cheers Manning (talk) 05:23, 8 March 2013 (UTC)

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