According to one early civilisation a member of Homo sapiens could indeed be a living god, possessing that most precious gift so fruitlessly craved by King Gilgamesh: divine immortality. They called him Pharaoh. He ruled a stretch of North Africa we now call Egypt through a succession of more than 30 dynasties, lasting 3, years.
Pharaoh was all-powerful. His people created for him extraordinary monumental buildings in the forms of palaces, temples and tombs. This monumental construction originally towered skywards a massive m — that's over 50m taller than Big Ben.
It still contains more than 2 million blocks of stone, each one weighing more than a pick-up truck. Hundreds of thousands of people worked to build structures like this. Modern experts are still at a loss to explain how the ancient Egyptians could have cut, transported and hauled into place so many huge blocks of stone, pushing them upwards into the sky from the flat, sandy desert in defiance of everything natural around.
The Egyptians were the first example of a human civilisation whose rulers amassed extremes of wealth and absolute power over men.
Their unprecedented riches and glory were underpinned by a belief that when they left this world they would join the gods in heaven for all eternity. Those who curried sufficient favour could be taken along too, if Pharaoh so chose, entering into a blissful life amongst the reeds of everlasting peace. From about 6, years ago nature gave these aspiring all-powerful human rulers a big helping hand in the form of a river and some strategic changes in the climate. Together they transformed the north-eastern tip of Africa into one of the most fertile and best protected lands on Earth.
Unlike the rivers of Mesopotamia, the Nile naturally floods once a year, bringing with it a supply of fresh, nutrient-rich soil, earth and sediment — perfect for growing crops.
With a natural supply of nutrients and a fresh deluge of rainwater each year, there was no risk of salt poisoning here. The pharaoh was at the top of the social hierarchy. Next to him, the most powerful officers were the viziers, the executive heads of the bureaucracy. Under them were the high priests, followed by royal overseers administrators who ensured that the 42 district governors carried out the pharaoh's orders.
He grouped their reigns into dynastic divisions that to a large degree are still considered accurate today. The dynasties are grouped into several periods , starting with the Early Period B. The first dynasty began with the legendary King Menes who is believed to have been King Narmer , and the last one ended in B.
Nectanebo II was the last Egyptian-born pharaoh to rule the country. N ot all the pharaohs were men, nor were they all Egyptian. Before the Graeco-Roman Period, at least three women ascended the throne, the most important being Queen Hatshepsut.
Over several periods, Egypt was dominated by foreign powers that appointed a king from their own ranks. Exactly how successive pharaohs were chosen is not entirely clear.
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