Until quite recently, a one-volume history of Egypt by a single author was almost unheard of. Yet few if any lands have as many elements of continuity running throughout their entire historical experience as Egypt. In this book Thompson draws on his experience in the history of Egyptology, classical studies, and orientalism to offer a narrative of the long course of human history by the Nile, from its mysterious predynastic kingdoms that preceded the age of the pharaohs to the post-modern nation-state of the 21st century.