EPILOGUE

Early Dynastic Egypt has come of age. It can no longer be regarded as an obscure transition, bridging the gap between the beguiling Predynastic period and the spectacular Old Kingdom. The Early Dynastic period deserves to be treated in its own right as a major stage of ancient Egyptian civilisation; not just any stage, but the formative one. As we have seen, most of the key features which, for us, define ancient Egyptian civilisation were initially developed by the ruling elite of the Early Dynastic period. The mechanisms of rule which remained at the heart of Egyptian government for some three thousand years had their origin in the first three dynasties. They were formulated in response to the enormous challenge of ruling the world’s first nation state. Their particular character suited not only the geography of Egypt but also the Egyptian psyche. Whether administrative structures, foreign relations, the ideology of divine kingship, royal mortuary architecture or the practice of religion, the solutions adopted by Egypt’s early rulers to the problem of establishing authority moulded their country and profoundly influenced its subsequent development. Away from the interests and influence of the court, however, local communities and the regions had their own concerns. Such factors were equally important for the character of life in the Nile valley and for the trajectory of Egyptian history.

After more than a century of interest in the earliest period of Egyptian history, we can now attempt to answer the question, ‘what came before the pyramids?’ The body of evidence for Early Dynastic Egypt is considerable (if complex) and growing all the time. Every year, new information from excavations and scholarly studies is enhancing our understanding of Egypt’s early civilisation. The picture is far from complete, but it is certain that in future years many more pieces of the puzzle will fall into place.