Overview Egypt brings to mind an ancient civilization with grand temples and pyramids, the Sphinx, and mummies. For many foreigners, it is little more than the exotic land of pharaohs. And, indeed, ancient Egypt is one of the cradles of human civilization, being closely tied to the Levant and Mesopotamia. This heritage traces back to the sixth millennium BCE , when Neolithic cultures developed independently in Upper (i.e., southern) and Lower (i.e., northern) Egypt. The two