Ancient Egypt emerged along the fertile banks of the Nile River around 6,000 years ago. Egyptian society was highly stratified, with the pharaoh as absolute ruler at the top. Common people worked as peasants farming the land or as craftsmen and merchants in cities, while scribes and priests comprised the privileged upper class. Egyptians mummified their dead and built elaborate tombs and temples, leaving behind artifacts that provide insight into their religious and cultural practices today.