All dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) and occur before the common era (B.C.E.). 3800–2298 The earliest Egyptians bury their dead in oval pits in the desert and include pots, tools, and...
All dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) and occur before the common era (B.C.E.). 3800–2298 The first Egyptians bury their dead in oval pits in the desert and include pots, tools, and weapons, presumably for the use...
Definition. The ancient Egyptians had no word for "religion." For them, religion was not a separate category of thought requiring an approach different from that used when discussing philosophy, science, or any other topic. In order to study Egyptian...
The ancient kingdom of Egypt lay along the fertile valley of the Nile River in northeastern Africa. For nearly three millennia, the Egyptian pharaohs (kings) ruled one of the ancient world's richest and most powerful nations. So long was Egypt's history...
All dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) and occur before the common era (B.C.E.). 3800–3500 Earliest fired pottery is decorated with a red body and a black rim....
All dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) and occur before the common era (B.C.E.). 3300–3000 The earliest hieroglyphic writing emerges in the town of Abydos in Middle Egypt. This pre-dates the earliest Sumerian...
Dynasties. Modern scholars divide the history of Egypt into thirty dynasties, following the practice of a third century B.C.E. historian named Manetho. He was an Egyptian who wrote in Greek for the Ptolemaic kings. His History of Egypt was meant to...
All dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) and occur before the common era (B.C.E.). 2675–2170 Tomb carvings record the earliest representations of singing and clapping, the first percussion instrument. Carvings also...
All dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) and occur before the common era (B.C.E.). 2625–2585 King Sneferu is the first Egyptian king to call himself "Possessor of Maat," stressing his role in...
All dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) and occur before the common era (B.C.E.). 3500–3300 Statuettes and paintings on pots buried in graves represent dancers performing a funeral dance, the earliest known...
Social Hierarchy. Ancient Egyptian society was highly stratified. There were six major divisions in society throughout roughly three thousand years of history. These divisions are reflected in honorary titles and occupational titles people used to...
All dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) and occur before the common era (B.C.E.). 5000 Archaeological evidence that flax grew in Egypt suggests that linen fabric was available at this early date. Flax was originally an...
Science? What was science for the Egyptians? They might not have recognized the category of knowledge that is now called science, but many of their activities would fall within the realm of modern science. Ancient Egyptians observed and described the...
Housing. Egyptian houses were built of mud brick in ancient times, as are many modern village houses. The exterior was often whitewashed, which reflected the bright sun and made the building more attractive. Interior surfaces had less decoration than...
All dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) and occur before the common era (B.C.E.). 2500–2170 One of the earliest composed dramas, concerning the battle between the gods Horus and Seth, may have been written during...
A fully developed writing system and literature in the Sumerian language emerge in Mesopotamia. It includes the first law codes and anonymous poetry. Political organization is by city-states. The Ram and Tree offering stand and Bull's Head from a Harp...
Natural Divisions. Egypt comprises two inhabitable zones—the valley and the delta of the Nile River. The valley divides into the east and west banks of the river, each with a desert beyond the area of cultivation. The delta also divides into two...
Ancient Egyptian civilization flourished in the fertile valley of the Nile. Physicians flourished there as well, especially in the centuries between 2000 and 1200 B.C. Much of Egyptian medicine was based on little more than superstition. However,...
Ancient Egypt was a civilization in northern East Africa concentrated along the middle to lower reaches of the Nile River that reached its greatest extent in the second millennium BC during the New Kingdom. It stretched from southern Syria in the north...
