ABSTRACT
The Near East is the area where the earliest civilizations yet known originated. An important feature of the ancient Near East is the degree of geographic variation within the region. Understanding the basic topographical and environmental features of this vast area provides insight into the development of its civilizations and culture. Egypt, which lies at the very southwestern edge of the Near Eastern sphere, has a unique environment. The Nile River defines life in Egypt. Archaeology has provided historians with long-lost texts such as ancient inscriptions, clay tablets, and papyrus scrolls. Because of the importance of such materials, most historians of the ancient Near East are also trained in archaeology, anthropology, and several ancient languages. The chronological framework for ancient Near Eastern history has been developed through careful analysis of many different types of material. Some, like lists of rulers derived from Hittite documents and various texts found at Ebla, Alalakh, and other Syrian cities, provide only relative chronologies.
