User Guide

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A Brief History of Egypt
Some of these small civilizations exhibited facets of what would
become ancient Egyptian culture. By 5500 BC, agriculture became the
primary source of food, particularly in southern, or Upper, Egypt.
Wheat and barley were grown and stored in granaries of different shapes
and sizes. Agrarian communities formed to support the farms.
Burial customs also evolved into a familiar form. The dead were
buried in cemeteries on the outskirts of villages, far from the living and
away from arable land. Tools and food that they would have used during
life were buried along with them. By about 4000 BC, when a second cul-
ture had established itself at Naqada, tombs evolved into underground
rooms that were supplied with everyday items.
Other conventions practiced by the earliest Egyptians included
the use of malachite as eye makeup to reduce the sun’s glare and the use
of oils for perfume. The throwing stick, used throughout ancient
Egyptian history to hunt, was also used during Pre-Dynastic times.
As agrarian communities formed into more organized villages,
leaders arose, and certain villages reached dominance. In Upper Egypt,
Thinis and Nubt (Naqada), which was associated with Seth, God of
Destruction, were the pre-eminent cities. In Lower Egypt, Perwadjyt
(Buto) and Behdet (Apollinopolis) were centers of power.
Archaic (Early Dynastic) Period
1st and 2nd Dynasties
3000-2649 BC
It was within the framework of strong regional leaders that
ancient Egypt was first unified. Historians disagree on which leader actu-
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Pre-Dynastic Period
5500-3000BC
The era before pharaohs rose to power is called the Pre-Dynastic
Period. Several cultures arose along the fertile banks of the Nile during
this time. In Lower Egypt, groups of people lived around Merimda, north
of what would become Men-nefer (Memphis). Another culture formed
in the Fayuum. To the south in Upper Egypt, cultures formed near
Abydos, and several formed at Naqada, or Nubt.
Patron Gods
Religion in Egypt developed regionally. Though in time all the
gods were united into one pantheon, most cities stubbornly maintained
allegiance to their own regional gods. Some cities held one god in par-
ticularly high esteem and viewed that god as its patron. For example,
Bubastis’ patron god was Bast, Nubt’s (Naqada) patron god was Seth,
Nehken’s (Hierokonopolis) god was Horus, and Abedju’s (Abydos) and
Busiris’ patron god was Osiris.
Different gods rose to prominence at different times, and they
often swapped characteristics with one another. For example, one of the
earliest pharaohs, Hor-Aha, looked upon Ptah as his patron god. Ptah’s
stature increased during Hor-Aha’s reign, and he became the creator of
all the gods. Later, Ra was deemed the creator god and, later still, Amon
became the chief god.
Loyalty to a certain patron god occasionally brought mythologi-
cal overtones to political struggles. At the end of the Archaic Period,
Khasekem, firmly united with Horus, battled Peribsen, who affiliated
himself with Seth, for rule of Egypt. Interestingly, in Egyptian mytholo-
gy, Seth is portrayed as a usurper of first Osiris’, then of Horus’, power. In
this instance, no one knows if life is imitating mythology or mythology
is imitating life.
A Brief History of Egypt