Egyptian Civilization The Egyptian Civilization Egyptian civilization formed along the Nile river and the earliest traces of human life in that region are from the Paleolithic Age, (Old Stone Age), about 300,000 B.C., at the very edges of the Nile Valley. Beyond, on both sides of the river the land was and still is desert. At that time the people moved from place to place, ate berries, roots, and any animals they could find, but stood close to their lifeline, the Nile. The lands along the Nile were rich enough to be farmed, so over time the people started to grow crops. They found ways to store the yearly floodwaters and then use them for the dry seasons. T