The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

Egypt has a long history. It existed as a continuous political entity for millennia before being absorbed by Rome a little over two thousand years ago. The kingdom generally confined itself to the Nile region. The "upper" and "lower" parts of Egypt would occasionally be separated, but would often be together. The Greeks came in and started ruling near the "end". However, they would adopt many of the Egyptian customs and continue ruling Egypt as Egypt. It was not until time time of Caesar that Rome eventually took over Egpyt and ended the period of self-rule.
Toby Wilkinson presents the history of Egypt as a chronological narrative. The focus is on Egypt and the leaders. Those that we know more about are covered in greater detail. Otherwise, the narrative may skip a few hundred years of history we know little about. The narrative does a good job of bringing in the key events that connect to the outside world. I liked the way the Rosetta stone popped out. The results of a minor campaign just happened to be inscribed in multiple languages, giving us a translation key. For the biblical Exodus, there was no specific Egyptian record. However, the author posits that a period of heavy imported labor may have been when it occurred.
The leaders of Egypt engaged in one-upmanship, building different large tombs and monuments. They were sometimes viewed as gods, while other times they were anointed by gods. Lines were generally hereditary, until they were not. Leaders were mostly men, except when they were women. There was a strong cult of the afterlife, leading to elaborate funeral practices (including mummies and pyramids.) However, it was also common for rulers to dismantle previous structures for their own monuments.
Egypt was a fascinating place. We know very little about the long history. Yet, we probably know more than we know of many other places so long ago.