Egyptian civilization is one of the six historic civilizations to arise independently. Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt. It is believed to have begun around 3100 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, Narmer.
The success of the Ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops.
The fertile floodplain of the Nile gave Egyptians the opportunity to develop a settled agricultural economy and a more sophisticated, centralized society that became a cornerstone in the history of human civilization.