Snapshots in Time: Ancient Egypt, the Pre-Dynastic and Early Dynastic Periods

Egypt is a land with a long history – one of the longest histories recorded for mankind.  In this series we will cover the most important eras of this fabled land, highlighting the accomplishments of each era.  This is not a definitive work; rather it is a synopsis of catalogued historical facts.

Pre-Dynastic Period
Due to worldwide climate changes around 30,000 BC, parts of the continent of Africa began to dry out and the Sahara Desert began its formation.  Early peoples and animals began to migrate to more fertile areas.  One of those areas was along the Nile River with its seasonal flooding which enriched the soil for early agrarian societies.  These societies needed more sophisticated stone tools than had been previously been in use and the development of spears and bows arose.  At about 13,000 BC these seasonal communities began to develop ritual burials and cemeteries.  By 7000 BC the seasonal communities had become permanent settlements in the Nile Valley.  These settlements had structures typically made from bricks, wood, and reeds.

Early Dynastic Period
The Early Dynastic Period is approximately the first 500 years of what is usually considered Ancient Egyptian History and begins in 3100 BC with Menes, the king who first conquered and unified Upper and Lower Egypt.  Prior to this time kings of both realms where recorded as being various gods and demigods, Menes is the first king to be considered the embodiment of Horus and not the actual god himself.  The concept of “divine kingship” instead of divinity being king is significant in that it allowed the development of centralized government.  The new centralized government needed more sophisticated communication skills, which forced the evolution of artistic writing into hieroglyphics with both phonetic and ideographic values.

The new centralized government also promoted the rise of urbanism with its need to have skilled craftsmen readily available.  These craftsmen began to change the landscape of the new urban areas by building in stone instead of brick and wood.  The architecture developed in this period, while refined over time, characterizes Egyptian architecture for the next 3000 years until the Greco-Roman Period.  With the rapidly developing physical and social structures came a need for security and the first true career military came into fashion.  These developments in the Nile Valley demonstrate the consolidation of the cultural, religious, and political evolutions of the Pre-Dynastic Period.  The most visual reminders of the accomplishments of this era are the Step Pyramids at Saqqara.  Built of stone, they were not intended for funerary use like later pyramids, but they do show the development of high levels of engineering and lead us to the next era: the Old Kingdom.

Visit again and follow the history of Egypt through the Old Kingdom.

By: Vicki Gardner