Ancient Egypt and the Near East explores the early civilizations that developed in Egypt and Mesopotamia between the start of farming in the Nile Valley around 6000 BCE and the defeat of the Persians by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE.

Presents a history of the ancient Egyptian culture, discussing the significant archeological discoveries that helped reveal this great empire.

Volume 1. From the beginnings to Old Kingdom Egypt and the dynasty of Akkad.

An account of a great civilization spanning 3,500 years moving from a collection of kingdoms, to a vast empire, and then to decline and finally absorption into the Roman Empire.

Here, adequately presented for the first time in English, is the fascinating story of a splendid culture that flourished thirty-five hundred years ago in the empire on the Nile: kings and conquests, gods and heroes, beautiful art, sculpture, poetry, architecture. Significant archeological discoveries are constantly being made in Egypt. In this revision Professor Steele has rewritten whole chapters on the basis of these new finds and offers several new conclusions to age-old problems.