Sprung from the fertile Nile River, ancient Egypt flourished from the thirty-first to the fourth century BCE, making it one of the longest lasting civilizations in history. Brings to life the world of the ancient Egyptians through accounts of royal marriages, military victories, diplomatic treaties, and memorials to the powerful. Includes examples of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic (pictorial) script, and its simplified form, hieratic script, written on palace walls, pharaohs' tombs, funeral stelae, clay tablets, and papyrus parchment. Features some of the most important written records from ancient Egypt, including the Narmer Palette, the Amarna Letters, the Israel Stela, the Book of the Dead, and the Rosetta Stone.