Egypt's story can be traced as far back as 3,400BC, when a leader called Menes united the two kingdoms based on the upper Nile (white kingdom, south of Egypt) and lower Nile (red kingdom, north Egypt) and made Memphis (20 miles from Cairo) the capital city. This civilization had already developed a writing system, a measuring system, and calendar system, which it recorded on papyrus, which seems to be the origin of paper writing.

As one of the oldest civilizations known to man, Egypt has a wealth of treasures, which have supposedly been maintained almost exactly in the form that they were constructed. All the periods in Egypt's history had rulers who were great builders, resulting in architecture unique to each period. Further, the popular gods also changed with each period, resulting in a rich cornucopia of temples, gods, and ancient treasures that are uniquely Egyptian. The stunning range of temples, tombs, pharaohs and their gods can be quite bewildering and confusing. The table below is an attempt to put our limited gleanings into some perspective.