The extraordinary civilization of ancient Egypt could not have existed without the Nile, which rises in the Ethiopian Highlands and sub-Saharan Africa. In life, the ancient Egyptians were tied to an area of at most a few kilometres either side of the great river. Even in death, the Ancient Egyptians where never far from the river. Many of the most famous archaeological sites – the pyramids at Giza, the Valley of the Kings, the step pyramid at Saqqara, and the royal cult temples at Deir al-Bahri – lie within, beside, or on top of the cliffs created by the immense past flows of the River Nile. Ancient Egypt: A Journey Down the Nile follows the course of the river from south to north, illuminating ancient Egyptian history through the patchwork of temples, tombs and pyramids to either side. The Egyptian state began with unification under southern Egyptian kings around 3100 BC and it started its final decline in the north around the great city of Alexandria, established in 331 BC by Alexander the Great. Engaging and illustrated throughout with more than 180 photographs, Ancient Egypt: Journey Down the Nile is a vivid pictorial exploration of 4,000 years of Ancient Egyptian civilization from the river that gave life to the region.

Nigel Fletcher-Jones, with a PhD in archaeological anthropology from Durham University, UK, was director of the American University in Cairo Press from 2012 to 2020. He is the author of Treasures of Ancient Egypt (2019), Abu Simbel and the Nubian Temples (2019), Ancient Egyptian Jewelry (2020) and Ancient Egypt (2024). He lives in Canterbury, Kent.