Early Egypt
from Saharan herders to the first pharaohs
Early Egypt5,000 BCE – 2,686 BCE
01
The Green Sahara and the Refugees
climate refugees flee a drying Sahara into the Nile valley
7000–4400 BCE
02
Badarians and the Birth of an Egyptian Look
the first distinctly Egyptian culture — cosmetics, linen, and grain
4400–3800 BCE
03
Naqada I and II: Upper Egypt Pulls Ahead
chiefdoms compete, towns grow, and Upper Egypt starts winning
3800–3300 BCE
04
Naqada III: Writing, Kings, and the Road to Unity
the invention of hieroglyphs, royal tombs, and political unification
3300–3100 BCE
05
Narmer Unifies Egypt
one king, two crowns — the founding act of pharaonic Egypt
3200–3050 BCE
06
The First Dynasty: Building the Pharaonic System
Memphis, mastabas, and the invention of the Egyptian state
3050–2890 BCE
07
The Second Dynasty Crisis
a dynastic crisis and the struggle between Horus and Seth
2890–2750 BCE
08
Khasekhemwy and the Eve of the Pyramid Age
a warrior-king reunifies Egypt and sets the stage for the pyramids
2750–2686 BCE