. The story of the ancient nations : a text-book for high schools. Keary, ch. 12; Tylor, pp. 167-175; Joly, pp. 320-326. 4. Primitive Tools and Weapons.—Joly, pp. 222-251; Tylor, ch. 8. 5. Primitive Art.—Joly, pp. 287-311; Clodd, pp. 52-55. PART I THE EARLY CIVILIZATION OF EGYPT ANDWESTERN ASIA CHAPTER I ANCIENT EGYPT 5. The Country.—In tracing the development of the hu-man race, the earliest records which we find in writtenform are those of thepeoples who lived in theNile Valley in Egypt. Egypt is a long andnarrow valley, from 2 to30 miles in width andabout 750 miles long, ifone follows its w
. The story of the ancient nations : a text-book for high schools. Keary, ch. 12; Tylor, pp. 167-175; Joly, pp. 320-326. 4. Primitive Tools and Weapons.—Joly, pp. 222-251; Tylor, ch. 8. 5. Primitive Art.—Joly, pp. 287-311; Clodd, pp. 52-55. PART I THE EARLY CIVILIZATION OF EGYPT ANDWESTERN ASIA CHAPTER I ANCIENT EGYPT 5. The Country.—In tracing the development of the hu-man race, the earliest records which we find in writtenform are those of thepeoples who lived in theNile Valley in Egypt. Egypt is a long andnarrow valley, from 2 to30 miles in width andabout 750 miles long, ifone follows its windingcourse. The Nile riverhas cut this great bedinto the limestone of thedesert to a depth of from600 to 1000 feet. Uponeither side of the valleylie the vast spaces ofthe Libyan and Arabiandeserts. Each year, fromJune to December, theriver gradually rises andfloods the valley. As it recedes within its banks, it leaves behind a deposit ofmud which keeps the soil of the valley ever fertile. Theentire area of the strip of valley which can be cultivated is 7. Egypt and the Nile Valley. 8 CIVILIZATION OF EGYPT AND WESTERN ASIA about 10,000 square miles, or about the size of the state ofMaryland. Because of the yearly floods, the fertility of thecountry has always been remarkable. In ancient times,wheal and barley gave rich harvests; and the date-palm wasa native tree along the Nile. Vegetables, especially beans,peas, and lentils, formed a profitable part of Egyptian farm-ing. The wonderful fertility of the Nile valley explains, toa great extent, why civilization developed in Egypt so early. 6. The People.—At the time when we first hear of them,the Egyptians were a mixed race. The original inhabi-tants of the land were of the same blood as the Libyans ofNorthern Africa, and the other peoples who lived in earlytimes about the Mediterranean Sea; but the Egyptian lan-guage shows some similarity with the group of languageswhich is called Semitic. These are the languages related
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