ABSTRACT
The north eastern quadrant of Africa has a long coastline due west of the Arabian peninsula; Egypt and Arabia share much of the Red Sea. As a consequence of Egypt’s geographical location, lying at the precise point where influences from north and south, east and west tend to converge the Valley was, particularly in historic times, a sort of cultural sump into which these many diverse influences flowed. That the Egyptian personality remained pristine and distinct in its earliest manifestations despite these infusions was a tribute to the sturdy roots put down by the earliest immigrants.
