<P> The Nile has been the lifeline of its region for much of human history . The fertile floodplain of the Nile gave humans the opportunity to develop a settled agricultural economy and a more sophisticated , centralized society that became a cornerstone in the history of human civilization . Nomadic modern human hunter - gatherers began living in the Nile valley through the end of the Middle Pleistocene some 120,000 years ago . By the late Paleolithic period , the arid climate of Northern Africa became increasingly hot and dry , forcing the populations of the area to concentrate along the river region . </P>
when did the first settlers arrived in the nile valley
end of the Middle Pleistocene some 120,000 years ago