Prehistory (egypt)
The Ancient Egypt
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| Timeline | |
| Prehistory : | before 4000 BC Chr. |
| Predynastic time : |
approx. 4000-3032 BC BC 0. Dynasty |
| Early Dynastic Period : |
approx. 3032-2707 BC Chr. 1st-2nd Dynasty |
| Old Empire : |
approx. 2707-2216 BC Chr. 3rd to 6th Dynasty |
| First intermediate time : |
approx. 2216-2137 BC Chr. 7th to 11th Dynasty |
| Middle Kingdom : |
approx. 2137–1781 BC Chr. 11 to 12th Dynasty |
| Second split time : |
approx. 1648–1550 BC BC 13th to 17th Dynasty |
| New Kingdom : |
approx. 1550-1070 BC Chr. 18 to 20 Dynasty |
| Third intermediate time : |
approx. 1070–664 BC BC 21st to 25th Dynasty |
| Late period : |
approx. 664-332 BC Chr. 26 to 31 Dynasty |
| Greco-Roman time : | 332 BC Chr. To 395 AD |
| Data based on Stan Hendrickx and Jürgen von Beckerath | |
| Summary | |
| History of Ancient Egypt | |
| Further information | |
| Portal Egyptology | |
As the prehistoric epoch , Egyptology and archeology refer to the period within the history of Egypt before the actual predynastic period from the Paleolithic to the beginning of the Badari culture . According to Egyptologists such as Stan Hendrickx , the demarcation between prehistory and predynasticism as well as their division is problematic, since the term "predynasticism" would have to cover the entire prehistory before the formation of the state, but is clearly defined more narrowly in Egyptological practice.
Pleistocene
For the hunters and gatherers in the Pleistocene , the end of their previous way of life became apparent when the climate became drier around 25,000 years ago and the grasslands turned into a dry desert landscape. The regular flooding of the Nile resulted in a fertile landscape that encouraged the settlement of people.
Most of the late Paleolithic sites in the Nile Valley are small but show signs of repeated seasonal use. Food plants were collected in the swamps and meadows on the Nile, which was then much smaller than it is today, with a river bed about 15 m higher. In particular, the starchy rhizomes of nutgrass ( Cyperus rotundus ), a sour grass , were used as food. The residents also hunted in the dunes and fished in the river.
During the excavations of the American archaeologist Fred Wendorf in the 1970s in Wadi Kubbaniya , over 100,000 fish bones were found, most of which were catfish . Among the birds, waterfowl such as ducks and geese predominated. Hippos , wild asses , hares , aurochs , gazelles and shellfish such as river pearl mussels were also eaten . Wild barley has probably already been collected in the delta .
Holocene
With the transition to the Holocene and the shift of the monsoon zone to the north, the climate became significantly more humid. The water level of the Nile rose and its high tides became more unpredictable. Nile pike now predominates in the remains of fish ; bone harpoons were used to catch it . Water birds, gazelles, wild cattle , crocodiles and hippos were hunted . Due to the stronger flooding, lowlands such as the Fayyum and the Nabta alluvial land could be settled. Plants such as knotweed , dock and rushes were used here. In Nabta-Playa has been around since 6000 BC. Chr. And ceramic demonstrated. The living quarters consisted of regularly arranged huts with hearths and storage pits. Three types of barley, legumes , millet ( panicum and sorghum ) and numerous other plants have been identified. There is evidence of early animal husbandry from this period in the eastern desert.
Neolithic
The oldest Neolithic cultures in Egypt were found in the Fayyum ( Fayum-A culture , approx. 5000 BC). The arable farmers living there lived in small settlements on the edge of the Fayumsee, cultivated grain and stored it in silos under the ground. Stone tools and simple earthenware are attested. The oldest evidence of weaving art in Egypt can also be found here.
Merimde culture
A little later, the so-called Merimde culture , which is similar in many ways to the Fayum A culture, is to be set. There is evidence of clay sculptures. The dead were buried in the settlement area without many graves.
Omari culture and Maadi culture
The Lower Egyptian Omari culture is mainly known from a site near Cairo. The farmers lived in small huts, some of which were buried in the ground. The dead were buried in pits with little additive. In Lower Egypt this is followed by the Maadi culture (approx. 4000–3400 BC).
See also
literature
- Kathryn A. Bard: Encyclopedia of the Archeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 0-415-18589-0 , pp. Xxvii.
- Stan Hendrickx, Pierre Vermeersch: Prehistory: From the Paleolithic to the Badarian Culture (700,000 - 4000 BC.) . In: Ian Shaw: The Oxford history of ancient Egypt . University Press, Oxford 2003, ISBN 0192804588 , pp. 16-40.
- Stan Hendrickx: Predynastics. In: E. Hornung, R. Kraus, DA Warburton (eds.): Ancient Egyptian Chronology. Brill, Leiden / Boston 2006, ISBN 978-9-004-11385-5 .
- Emily Teeter (Ed.): Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization. (= Oriental Institute Museum Publications Vol. 33) Chicago 2011, ISBN 978-1-885923-82-0 , online .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Stan Hendrickx: Predynastics. In: E. Hornung, R. Kraus, DA Warburton (eds.): Ancient Egyptian Chronology. Oxford 2003.