ABSTRACT
The first nomads to reach the Lower Nile found an extraordinary paradise: a green-blue ribbon running in a deep valley through a yellow-brown desert. The valley was lush and sheltered. Even the desert was a source of good things: safety, precious stones and wild animals. A great river came from the heart of Africa. Once a year, from July to September, the Nile flooded and fertilised the valley. As the waters rose, Egyptians withdrew to higher land. At the valley edge, they found cliffs which could be quarried to make stone buildings. There was every reason to settle in this place, and every opportunity to found a great civilisation, which they did.
