ABSTRACT

Early Dynastic Egypt spans the five centuries preceding the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza. This was the formative period of ancient Egyptian civilization, and it witnessed the creation of a distinctive culture that was to endure for 3,000 years. This book examines the background to that great achievement, the mechanisms by which it was accomplished, and the character of life in the Nile valley during the first 500 years of Pharaonic rule.
The results of over thirty years of international scholarship and excavation are presented in a single highly illustrated volume. It traces the re-discovery of Early Dynastic Egypt, explains how the dynasties established themselves in government and concludes by examining the impact of the early state on individual communities and regions.

part I|90 pages

Introduction

chapter Chapter 1|21 pages

Egyptology and the Early Dynastic Period

chapter Chapter 2|27 pages

Birth of a Nation State

chapter Chapter 3|41 pages

Historical Outline

part II|188 pages

The Establishment of Authority

chapter Chapter 4|35 pages

Administration

chapter Chapter 5|28 pages

Foreign Relations

chapter Chapter 6|43 pages

Kingship

chapter Chapter 7|27 pages

Royal Mortuary Architecture

chapter Chapter 8|54 pages

Cults and Shrines

part III|38 pages

The Diversity of Local Experience

chapter Chapter 9|17 pages

The Rise of Urbanism

chapter Chapter 10|19 pages

The Regions of Egypt

chapter |1 pages

Epilogue