Egypt has long been the land of mystery and enchantment. The earliest recorded history dates back to around 3100 B.C.E, when a king from the South, usually thought to be Narmer or Menes, united the two lands. How he did this is not exactly known, but it was probably either through battle or a politically arranged marriage to a woman from the North. This was the start of the Archaic Period, which led into the Old Kingdom. The Old Kingdom is one of the most well known periods of Egyptian history, as it is so well known for the pyramids that were built during this time. After a period of decay, Egypt entered the First Intermediate Period, a time of strife, instability and famine. Whether this was brought on by lower than average flooding of the Nile or by the enormous strain on the economy created by such huge building projects is not known, but eventually a strong king came to the throne and was able to restore order and prosperity. This Middle Kingdom was  not long lived, and was also overtaken by internal strife and conflict. During the Second Intermediate Period, as many as four different rulers may have at any given time from different locations in the Kingdom. Many were not even Egyptian. But again, a strong leader arose and restored order, and the New Kingdom was founded. Pyramid building was pretty much abandoned in favor of secret tombs that were not as obvious to tomb robbers. Instead, the pharaohs directed their building projects towards temples and monuments to themselves, such as Abu Simbel built by Ramsess II and the Temple of Karnak, which was continuously built up for centuries. These monuments and discoveries such as the finding of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 make this one of the most well known periods of Pharaonic Egyptian history. But, as the old saying goes, everything that goes up, must come down. Once more, the country entered chaos, and as a result, another Intermediate Period began. After the Third Intermediate Period ended came the Late Period, but the country was still in turmoil. Cushite rule lasted until 671 B.C.E. when the Assyrians took over. Egyptian rule over Egypt finally returned with Psamtik I, but this only lasted until 525 B.C.E. when the Egyptians were defeated by the Persians. Egypt regained power again, but three dynasties later the Persians dominated again. In 332 B.C.E. Alexander the Great took over Egypt and put his general Ptolemy I in charge. After Alexander's death in 323 B.C.E. his kingdom was carved up, and Ptolemy took the title of Pharaoh. Under the Ptolemys, Egypt was a force to be reckoned with, but with the expansion of Rome the collapse was inevitable. The Ptolemys held on to power until Cleopatra's suicide in 30 B.C.E. After that, Egypt was little more than a Roman province, her traditions mixed with those of the Romans, her gods merging with the traditional Roman pantheon.But for 3,000 years, Egypt was one of the strongest forces in the known world. It is best known for its art and architecture, much of which is spread around the world. Using 'primitive' tools they were able to build the pyramids, the Sphinx and many other monuments that have stood the test of time, some lasting upwards 5,000 years, something our more modern builders have not been so successful at. Unfortunately, most of our information comes from the ruling class; very little is known about the daily life of the common people. And every time new information comes to light and answers a question, it seems two more questions are posed. Hopefully, the information available to Egyptologists will yield more answers before it is lost forever.