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3500 BCE
Nile River
3500 B.C.
-Early settlers settle in the Nile valley
-Nile River flooded regularly allowing agriculture to thrive because of the rich soil it deposited
3100 B.C.
-Hieroglyphics were developed
-Upper and Lower Egypt were unified by Narmer (Menes), the first Egyptian pharaoh to rule over unified Egypt -
3100 BCE
Early Dynastic Period
3100 B.C.
-Early Dynastic Period began following the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt
-Included the First and Second Dynasties; the capital was moved from Thinis to Memphis
-Narmer was the first king with governors aiding him
-Urbanism increased
2686 B.C.
-End of the Early Dynastic Period
-The last king was Khasekhemwy
-Important developments during the Dynastic Period were a centralized government, urbanization, and formation of the -Ancient Egyptian culture -
2686 BCE
The Old Kingdom
2686 B.C.
-Old Kingdom began; often viewed as the Age of the Pyramids -Step Pyramids were built in the 3rd Dynasty (first built by Djoser/Netjerikhet), while the “true” Egyptian pyramids were built in the 4th Dynasty
2181 B.C.
-End of the Old Kingdom
-Important developments during the Old Kingdom were a golden age of technological and artistic achievement (such as the pyramids) and the emergence of characteristics of the pharaonic culture -
2181 BCE
1st Intermediate Period
-“Dark age” (art diminished) of Egypt’s history where power bases were divided
-One was in Heracleopolis (lower Egypt) and the other in Thebes (upper Egypt)
-King Mentuhotep II reunited Egypt, and this led to the strength of the Middle Kingdom -
2040 BCE
The Middle Kingdom
2040 B.C.
-Start of the Middle Kingdom (Period of Reunification)
-Capital was Thebes
-First Pharaoh was Mentuhotep II who reunited Upper and Lower Egypt
-Pharaohs Mentuhotep II and III resorted Egyptian hegemony over many areas that had been lost to Egypt for years
1640 B.C.
-End of the Middle Kingdom
-Important developments during the Middle Kingdom were Osiris becoming the most important deity, artistic development, and a change in the Egyptian concept of kingship -
1650 BCE
2nd Intermediate Period
-Invaders from western Asia, the Hyksos, brought an end to the Middle Kingdom
-Second intermediate period followed
-Hyksos introduced the horse and chariot, military weapons, and cultural aspects such as the lute and lyre
-Literary and scientific texts were evident during this period
-Rulers from Thebes conquered northern Egypt again -
1550 BCE
The New Kingdom
1550 B.C.
-Start of the New Kingdom; Ahmose I drove out the Hyksos and reunited Egypt
-This new kingdom was militarily dominated and became imperialistic
-Leaders of the bureaucracy (viziers) were chosen from military commanders
-Hatshepsut and Akhenaten were pharoahs at this time
1070 B.C.
-End of the New Kingdom
-Important developments during the New Kingdom were land gains
-It was Egypt's most prosperous time and was at the apex of its power -
323 BCE
Post Empire Egypt
-The Egyptian Empire ended with the Sea Peoples conquering Egypt
-Egypt was controlled by Libyans, Nubians, Assyrians, Persians, and then the Macedonians with Alexander the Great
-Alexander established a Ptolemaic dynasty
-Egypt became province of Rome after Cleopatra (the last Ptolemaic ruler) and Mark Antony’s deaths
