The predynastic period
Archaeologists have identified several Predynastic Egyptian cultures. They have named them for the modern towns where remains of these ancient cultures were found. The Badarian culture arose about 5000 B.C.
. It was followed by the Amratian culture (also called Naqada I) about 4000 B.C. The Early and Late Gerzean Periods (also called Naqada II) followed around 3500 B.C. and 3300 B.C. Because these cultures did not leave written records, it can seem that Egyptian civilization sprang out of nowhere. In fact, the ancient Egyptians had settled down in the Nile valley long before they learned to write. Archaeologists have uncovered enough physical evidence to piece together a general picture of early civilization in the valley. Early settlers in the Nile valley carefully buried their dead in locations that were safe from the floodwaters. Archaeologists have discovered many cemeteries on high ground near the cliffs. Villages were located on “turtle-backs” (small rises of land) on the valley floor. But over thousands of years, the Nile’s annual flood buried most evidence of Predynastic Egyptian life. What is known about these people comes mostly from cemeteries, pottery, tools, weapons, jewelry, and other metal objects. Evidence of only a few settlements on the valley floor has survived, and mostly by chance. By studying layers of mud, archaeologists and geologists (people who study the history of rocks) have found that many more settlements are buried deep beneath layers of mud built up over thousands of years. In the Nile Delta, the river has gradually shifted eastward over thousands of years, wiping out signs of many important early settlements. Other ancient villages lie buried deep beneath modern towns and cities. Many of these sites have had people living there all the time for up to 8,000 years. Many ancient settlements were dismantled, brick by brick, by the Egyptians themselves. Most ancient buildings were made of sun-dried mud-brick. As mud-brick decays, it turns into sebakh—the organic debris left by humans. This sebakh makes a cheap, handy fertilizer. Over the centuries, sebakh gatherers have removed all traces of entire ancient villages and towns. Based on the evidence that remains, we know Egyptians of the Predynastic Period lived in small, self-supporting villages on humps of dry land near the river’s edge. They were close to hunting and fishing grounds and to the fields they farmed. They tended herds of animals. They wove baskets and mats from papyrus and reeds. They grew wheat and barley, storing the grains in pits lined with reed mats. They used milling and grinding stones to turn their grain into flour. They had simple cooking equipment. They protected their eyes from the harsh sun with “eye paint”: minerals mixed with oils and ground on stone plates. They pressed cleansing oils from the wild castor plant. Compared to people in other parts of the ancient world, they enjoyed a good life. Food, both farmed and wild, was usually plentiful. They believed in a life after death. They laid a dead person on his left side, knees touching his chin, wrapped him in a reed mat or animal skin, or placed him in a basket. Then they buried him in a shallow oval pit in the sand, facing west. Graves often included jars of beer and food, pottery, makeup tools, weapons, personal ornaments, and small figures symbolizing fertility (the ability to have babies) or life. In the hot, dry sand, bodies dried out before they could rot. This created natural mummies. Predynastic religion included groups of people who worshipped animals. Animal cemeteries, located near human graves, included the bodies of dogs, jackals, sheep, and cows, wrapped in linen or matting and carefully buried. Coming Together.
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