1077: 1/4 Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt: The History of a Civilisation from 3000 BC to Cleopatra, by Toby A. H. Wilkinson
Image: Naqada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naqada_Culture) figure of a woman interpreted to represent the goddess Bat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_(goddess)) with her inward curving horns, c. 3500–3400 B.C.E. terracotta, painted. The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians include the quarrying (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_quarries_of_ancient_Egypt) , surveying (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveying) and construction techniques that supported the building of monumental pyramids (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids) , temples (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_temple) , and obelisks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk_making_technology_in_ancient_Egypt) ; a system of mathematics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_mathematics) , a practical and effective system of medicine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_medicine) , irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, the first known planked boats,[5] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWard2001-5) Egyptian faience (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_faience) and glass technology, new forms of literature (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_literature) , and the earliest known peace treaty (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian%E2%80%93Hittite_peace_treaty) , made with the Hittites Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt: The History of a Civilisation from 3000 BC to Cleopatra, by Toby A. H. Wilkinson (https://www.amazon.com/Toby-A-H-Wilkinson/e/B001IZX7GA/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1) This is a story studded with extraordinary achievements and historic moments, from the building of the pyramids and the conquest of Nubia through Akhenaten's religious revolution, the power and beauty of Nefertiti, the glory of Tutankhamun's burial chamber, and the ruthlessness of Ramesses, to Alexander the Great's invasion and Cleopatra's fatal entanglement with Rome. As the world's first nation-state, the history of ancient Egypt is above all the story of the attempt to unite a disparate realm and defend it against hostile forces from within and without. Combining grand narrative sweep with detailed knowledge of hieroglyphs and the iconography of power, Toby Wilkinson reveals ancient Egypt in all its complexity.