<Dd> See also: North Africa during the Classical Period, Ptolemaic Egypt, Roman Egypt </Dd> <P> The expanse of the Libyan Desert cut Egypt off from the rest of North Africa . Egyptian boats, while well suited to the Nile, were not usable in the open Mediterranean . Moreover, the Egyptian merchant had far more prosperous destinations on Crete, Cyprus and the Levant . </P> <P> Greeks from Europe and the Phoenicians from Asia also settled along the coast of Northern Africa . Both societies drew their prosperity from the sea and from ocean - born trade . They found only limited trading opportunities with the native inhabitants, and instead turned to colonization . The Greek trade was based mainly in the Aegean, Adriatic, Black, and Red Seas and they only established major cities in Cyrenaica, directly to the south of Greece . In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and for the next three centuries it was ruled by the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty . </P> <P> The Phoenicians developed an even larger presence in North Africa with colonies from Tripoli to the Atlantic . One of the most important Phoenician cities was Carthage, which grew into one of the greatest powers in the region . At the height of its power, Carthage controlled the Western Mediterranean and most of North Africa outside of Egypt . However, Rome, Carthage's major rival to the north, defeated it in a series of wars known as the Punic Wars, resulting in Carthage's destruction in 146 BC and the annexation of its empire by the Romans . In 30 BC, Roman Emperor Octavian conquered Egypt, officially annexing it to the Empire and, for the first time, unifying the North African coast under a single ruler . </P>

When did camels arrive in north africa and why were they significant