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[[File:All Gizah Pyramids.jpg|thumb|350px|The [[pyramids of Giza]] are among the most recognizable symbols of the civilization of ancient Egypt.]] [[File:Ancient Egypt map-en.svg|thumb|350px|Map of ancient Egypt, showing major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BC to 30 BC).]]
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[[File:All Gizah Pyramids.jpg|thumb|350px|The [[pyramids of Giza]] are among the most recognizable symbols of the civilization of ancient Egypt.]] [[File:Ancient Egypt map-en.svg|thumb|350px|Map of ancient Egypt, showing major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BC to 30 BC).]]
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”’Ancient Egypt”’ was an [[Ancient history|ancient]] [[civilization]] of eastern [[North Africa]], concentrated along the lower reaches of the [[Nile|Nile River]] in what is now the modern state of [[Egypt]]. The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC<ref>Only after 664 BC are dates secure. See [[Egyptian chronology]] for details. {{cite web|url=http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/chronology/index.html|title=Chronology|accessdate=2008-03-25|publisher=Digital Egypt for Universities, University College London}}</ref> with the political unification of [[Upper and Lower Egypt]] under the first [[pharaoh]], and it developed over the next three millennia.<ref>Dodson (2004) p. 46</ref> Its [[History of ancient Egypt|history]] occurred in a series of stable periods, known as ”kingdoms”, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods. Following the end of the last of these kingdoms, known as the [[New Kingdom]], the civilization of ancient Egypt entered a period of slow, steady decline, during which Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers. The rule of the pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when the early [[Roman Empire]] conquered Egypt and made it [[Egypt (Roman province)|a province]].<ref>Clayton (1994) p. 21
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