Introduction 

Early humans lived in Africa for hundreds of thousands of years as foragers. So, why did humans shift from foraging to farming? Some of the answers are found along the Nile. The Nile River is the longest river in the world. This stretch of land provided everything to sustain life. It also connected Egypt with Nubia, its southern neighbor.

Nubia, A-Group culture (c. 3800-2900 BCE)

The ancient settlements of Nubia developed where Sudan and southern Egypt are found today. Some of the earliest farming societies began in Nubia. Archaeologists have referred to these early inhabitants as A-Group culture. Researchers have analyzed almost 200 ancient sites. They are mainly cemeteries and settlements.

Archaeologists have unearthed Nubian storage pits. They have also discovered stone tools, gold, and pottery. Some of these artifacts were made from local sources. Others were brought from Egypt.

Nubian and early Egyptian artifacts have many similarities. These similarities indicate the two societies shared many traits. There is also evidence of strong trade networks between Nubia and Egypt.

Nubians also buried their dead in a similar fashion to the Egyptians. Both societies positioned their dead facing west. They left offerings to guide the dead to the afterlife. Nubian and Egyptian graves also held similar artifacts. Some of the decorations use similar styles. These clues all suggest the cultures of Nubia and Egypt were connected.

 

Lapis lazuli is another example of a Nubian-Egyptian connection. This deep blue semi-precious stone was mined far away in Southwest Asia. However, it has been found in both Nubian and Egyptian sites. It was used in the creation of the female figure shown on the right. These figures may have been used as fertility symbols (very much like the Venus of Willendorf discussed in Unit 2). 

Ancient Egypt—predynastic, protodynastic, and early dynastic periods (c. 6000- 2700 BCE)

When we think of ancient Egyptian culture, we may picture pyramids and mummies. The pyramids are huge structures that housed the dead. They have stood for thousands of years. Egyptian history, though, began long before the pyramids were built.

Ancient Egypt is often divided into three periods. These periods were ruled by different dynasties, or lines of rulers in the same family. These rulers were known as pharaohs. These dynasties really began to rule Egypt around 3000 BCE. In this article, we are mainly focusing on:

• The Predynastic Period lasted from 6000-3200 BCE. This was the period before dynasties of kings ruling a unified Egypt.
• The Protodynastic Period lasted from around 3200-3000 BCE. This was the period in which a centralized kingdom began to emerge.
• The Early Dynastic Period lasted from 3000-2700 BCE. This was the time of the earliest pharaohs.

The early history of Egypt covers the transition to agriculture and the founding of societies ruled by kings. We do know that early farming communities existed along the Nile River Valley. The shift to farming was a gradual one. It took about 2,000-2,500 years and may have been driven by a changing climate. A long dry period seems to have occurred. It pushed people closer to the resources of the Nile.

Like Nubia, Egypt had trade relationships with Southwest Asia. We know this from artifacts found in burial sites. Lower Egypt had fertile soil and access to networks of trade. As a result, this section of Egypt grew in population, wealth, and power.

Before the dynasties, rulers of different communities gained more power. As a result, contact between communities grew. The sharing of beliefs and places for rituals became more common. An example of these shared spiritual places was the city of Abydos. For the Nubians, it was a necropolis, or city of the dead. Later, Abydos became the burial place for Egyptian royalty.

The unification of Egypt marks a significant point in Egyptian history. Egyptian kings united to become more powerful. This began the Early Dynastic Period in Egyptian history.

Unification of Egypt

The unification of Egypt took place about 4,800 years ago. It marks a key turning point in Egyptian history. Egyptian kings brought more and more people under their control.

This period is also when hieroglyphic writing became more common. There are similarities between the ancient scripts of Egypt and Nubia. These similarities indicate they may have shared a common language.

The early kings of Egypt maintained a dual role as both god and king. The idea of dual, opposing forces was important in Egyptian society. It included the notion of life and afterlife. It also reflected the related nature of male and female.

This idea of harmony between the sexes meant Egyptian women had status. As in Nubia, women held important roles in religious rituals and agriculture. Egyptian women also received equal pay for equal work. They could own their own land. They could run their own businesses. Such equality has rarely been the case in human history.