Ancient Egypt is something that is known around the world, but the Egyptians themselves did not generally refer to themselves by that moniker. Instead, the civilization was known by different names throughout its history, and it is not until we get to the Greeks that some name that signifies Egypt was actually created.

Back in its earliest times, known as the Old Kingdom, it was known by the name ‘Kemer’, which also means ‘Black Land’. This was due to the color of the soil around the Nile, which became the source of life for the entire civilization.

However, it then changed its name to ‘Deshret’ which stands for ‘Red Land’, and that is in direct reference to the red sand that makes up the majority of the land. It would then be known later on in its history by the name ‘Hwt-ka-Ptah’ which means ‘House of the Ka and Ptah’ with Ptah being known as one of the earliest Gods to appear in their history. Eventually, the Greeks then came along and took control, with it then being given the name Aegyptus, and you can now see where we get the English name.