Egyptian history proper, dynastic Egypt, begins with the unification of the country ca. 3050 BC. In chronological terms, this corresponds to the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.
Figure 5.1 Egypt
Following this event, Egypt was ruled for nearly 3,000 years by a sequence of thirty dynasties, or ruling families (see the Introduction). These dynasties have been grouped by historians into periods of strength and weakness. The three great periods of cultural achievement, marked by a strong central government, are known as the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the
New Kingdom. Each was followed by a period of weakness in which the central government disintegrated, with regional rulers wielding power: the First, Second, and Third Intermediate Periods. The Late Period, which followed the Third Intermediate Period, comprises the final centuries of independent Egypt before the conquests of the Persians, Greeks, and Romans.
According to Manetho, the important ancient chronicler of Egyptian history, the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt ca. 3050 BC was accomplished by Menes. The name “Menes” is not attested on remains or documents of the period, however. Instead, those objects indicate a king Narmer as the great conqueror, but it may be that Menes and Narmer are in fact the same person. In any case, Manetho may have simplified events. Mounting evidence suggests that political and cultural unification did not occur suddenly, but developed over 100—200 years, with the south gradually imposing its control over the north. The term “Dynasty 0” is used by some to denote this period of transition.
World History
