Egypt is one of the oldest civilizations in the history of the world, which began around 3000 BC.
In 2700 BC, the first pharaoh, Ptolemy I of the Old Kingdom, ruled Egypt, ushering in the golden age of Egyptian civilization.
During the Old Kingdom, Egypt developed a high degree of agriculture, architecture, writing, religion, and cultural arts, with the construction of the pyramids being the most famous.
The peculiarity of Egyptian culture is that it is heavily influenced by the Nile.
The Nile River brought abundant farmland to Egypt, which enabled Egypt to develop steadily in terms of economy and population.
The Egyptians saw the Nile as a source of life, so they pioneered early irrigation systems, created magnificent dams and embankments, and continued to expand the area under agricultural cultivation.
In terms of art and literature, Egypt has a rich output. They created many beautiful frescoes, unique carvings, and literary works, many of which have survived to this day.
Egypt did not become a great empire in ancient times like countries like Greece or Rome, in part because it was long on the western edge of the Middle East.
Its proximity to Africa has resulted in relatively little disruption to maritime trade, while inland trade has also been hampered by geographical limitations.
In addition, Egypt is located on the edge of a large desert and lacks the abundant oil and other natural resources that other Middle Eastern countries have. As a result, Egypt is relatively backward in the exchange of culture, technology and knowledge from the outside world.
Another reason why Egypt failed to become an empire was that Egypt's electoral and succession system caused political turmoil to some extent.
Unlike countries such as China and Iran, Egypt lacks a well-established system of royal succession and governance.
There have been Egyptian leaders who have been remembered for their time in office, but their way of governing seems to be very weak today.
Egypt had frequent dynastic changes, and there were often conflicts between leadership and led to numerous internal instability and chaos.
The culture and religion of the Egyptians also had an impact on their national development.
While Egypt's religion, culture, and art were clearly relatively advanced, their religious and cultural ideas often led to their rejection of the outside world.
In Egyptian culture, they considered themselves descendants of the gods, which led to their long-term refusal to establish economic and political relations with other countries. In the long run, this led to a relative backwardness in their political and economic development.
In 30 BC, the decline of Egypt began with the Arab invasions during the reign of Alexander the Great.
In 332 BC, Alexander the Great led the Greek Macedonian army into Egypt and founded the city of Alexandria near Alexandria.
Although Alexandria became an important trading hub and Greek culture had a profound influence on Egypt, the influence of foreign rulers on Egypt gradually diminished over time.
Around 30 BC, Egypt fell under the rule of the Roman Empire.
The Romans saw Egypt as an important part of their expansion into the eastern Mediterranean and saw it as a resource-rich colony. However, the Egyptian regime during the Roman period became more of a vassal of Roman rule than it had been in the previous trade boom.
Egypt's political and economic power gradually waned, and the country's decline was further exacerbated.
Problems such as political corruption, economic stagnation, and social unrest have led to internal divisions and social instability in Egypt. In addition, the Roman Empire's taxes and economic plundering exacerbated the poverty and discontent of the Egyptian people.
Eventually, in 395 AD, the Roman Empire split into the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, and Egypt became part of the Byzantine Empire.
However, this did not change the situation in Egypt, and the situation of economic and political decay did not fundamentally improve.
Egypt had an early start and was rich in culture, but it failed to form a powerful empire.
Although its geographical location, cultural and resource conditions provide certain opportunities for development, a combination of factors has influenced Egypt's development.
The relative marginality of its geographical location, the lack of a stable system of succession, the limitations of cultural and religious concepts, and the influence of foreign rulers were all important factors that limited Egypt to become a great empire.
At the same time, Egypt has also suffered multiple internal and external shocks in the course of its history, with political corruption, economic recession and social unrest exacerbating the country's decline.
However, despite failing to become a great empire, Egypt's civilization and culture still left a profound impact on world history.
Egypt's pyramids, hieroglyphs, and religious beliefs have all become important parts of the development of human civilization, forever changing the cognitive and cultural landscape of the world.