Egypt: Naqada Through Unification Egypt

Egypt: Naqada Through Unification

Egypt is one of the most renowned places world wide and most of its fame is owed to the fact that it has been home to one of the first cultures on earth. The first inhabitants left the barren desert in favor of the more fertile lands of Egypt where they could lead a flourishing life. The exact time when the foundations of Egypt had been "dug" cannot be determined. Early human settlements have been found and the edifices are believed to date from the 7th millennium BC.

Egypt's pre-dynastic period, which lasted until all the people in Egypt united under one king, is divided into three distinct periods which refer to the site were archeological material was found. The archeological sites are named Badarian, Amratian (Naqada I), and Gerzean (Naqada II and III). (Maisels)

Archeological findings suggest that to the end of the Gerzean period, after the end of the Naqada III, a great political force, which would develop into the first united kingdom of ancient Egypt, was forming. The first dynasties to follow have clearly displayed the cultural advantages that the unification has had on Egypt with the building of some of the first considerable mortuary constructions which were the predecessors of the pyramids. (Maisels)

Egypt's first dynasty is believed to have been founded by a king named Meni that had a legendary past, including the uniting of the upper and lower parts of Egypt by taking control of the Nile's delta. (Kinnaer) King Meni supposedly established the city of Memphis to serve as a capital of Egypt, and the city indeed experienced an impressive expansion after the end of the pre-dynastic era. (Owen) However, there is much controversy concerning the existence of king Meni, as there is no tangible evidence within the archeological documentation.

The first civilized people to come into Mesopotamia around the 4th millennium BC were the Sumerians. In time, they surpassed in civilization the Ubaidians and Semites the inhabitants of Mesopotamia at that time. Among others, the Sumerian superior knowledge lead to the building of better roads and water canals. (Smitha)

The Sumerian society was organized into city states which surrounded a temple and were governed by priests. The lower classes within the Sumerian community were assigned only for performing acts that would serve for the well-being of the society. There is no information concerning the exact place from where the Sumerians came from, but most suppositions revolve around their origins as being one of the islands in the Persian Gulf. (Watkins)

The Sumerian civilization somewhat resembles the Egyptian one because of the fact that both of them have been formed around fertile regions in the close vicinity of rivers. The fertile terrains inhabited by the two civilizations have provided most of the reasons for the evolution of their societies.