Egypt may be divided into two principal parts. (1) The lower, or
northern, part includes the extended plain about the delta, where the
soil is most fertile, and where the earliest civilization was developed.
It was here that the first empire was established, with its center at
Memphis. (2) The upper, or southern, part includes the remainder of the
valley as far as the “first cataract.” This formed a second area of
civilization, with its center at Thebes. In either direction from these
two centers the banks of the Nile became dotted with a multitude of
towns and villages, each one of which was a seat of industry and art.