Early Dynastic period, overview (Archaeology of

Ancient Egypt)
Also known as the "Archaic", the Early
Dynastic period consists of the 1st and 2nd
Dynasties (circa 3050-2! "#)$ %hat is now
&nown as 'Dynasty 0' sho(ld pro)a)ly )e placed
in this period as well at the end of the
*redynastic se+(ence$ ,ings of Dynasty 0, who
preceded those of the 1st Dynasty, were )(ried
at A)ydos and the na-es of so-e of these r(lers
are &nown fro- inscriptions$ .he Early Dynastic
state controlled a vast territory along the /ile
fro- the Delta to the 0irst #ataract, over
1,000&- along the floodplain$ %ith the 1st
Dynasty, the foc(s of develop-ent shifted fro-
so(th to north, and the early Egyptian state was
a centrally controlled polity r(led )y a (god-)&ing
fro- the 1e-phis region$ %ith the Early
Dynastic state too, there ca-e the e-ergence of
ancient Egyptian civili2ation$
In Dynasty 0 and the early 1st Dynasty there is
evidence of Egyptian e3pansion into 4ower
/()ia and a contin(ed Egyptian presence in the
northern 5inai and so(thern *alestine$ .he
Egyptian presence in so(thern *alestine did not
last thro(gh the Early Dynastic period, )(t with
Egyptian penetration in /()ia, the indigeno(s A-
6ro(p c(lt(re co-es to an end later in the 1st
Dynasty$ %ith the (nification of Egypt into a large
territorial state, the crown -ost li&ely wanted to
control the trade thro(gh /()ia of e3otic raw
-aterials (sed to -a&e l(3(ry goods, which
res(lted in Egyptian -ilitary inc(rsions in 4ower
/()ia$ %ith the display of force )y the Egyptians,
A-6ro(p peoples -ay si-ply have left 4ower
/()ia and gone elsewhere (to the so(th or
desert regions), and there is no evidence of
indigeno(s peoples living in 4ower /()ia (ntil
the #-6ro(p c(lt(re, )eginning in the late 7ld
,ingdo-$
8n *alestine fortified cities conte-porary to the
Egyptian 1st Dynasty were )(ilt in the north and
so(th$ At the site of 9En "esor in so(thern
*alestine, ninety frag-ents of Egyptian seal
i-pressions have )een fo(nd associated with a
s-all -(d)ric& )(ilding and cera-ics that are
-ainly Egyptian, incl(ding -any frag-ents of
)read -olds$ 1ade of local clay, the seal
i-pressions are those of officials of fo(r &ings of
the 1st Dynasty$ .his evidence s(ggests state-
organi2ed trade directed )y Egyptian officials
residing at this settle-ent d(ring -ost of the 1st
Dynasty$ 5(ch evidence in so(thern *alestine is
-issing d(ring the 2nd Dynasty, however, and
active contact -ay have )ro&en off )y then, as
the sea trade with 4e)anon intensified$
7ne res(lt of the e3pansion of the *redynastic
/agada c(lt(re fro- so(thern Egypt to the north
wo(ld have )een a greatly ela)orated (state)
ad-inistration, and )y the )eginning of the 1st
Dynasty this was -anaged in part )y early
writing, (sed on sealings and tags affi3ed to state
goods$ 5(ch evidence also s(ggests a state
ta3ation syste- in place in the early Dynasties$
Early writing has a royal conte3t and was an
innovation of great i-portance to this state,
which (sed writing for econo-ic:ad-inistrative
p(rposes and in royal art$
In the Memphis region graves and tombs are
found beginning in the 1st Dynasty, which
s(ggests the fo(nding of the city at this ti-e$
.o-)s of high officials are fo(nd at near)y /orth
5a++ara, and officials and persons of all levels of
stat(s were )(ried at other sites in the 1e-phis
region$ 5(ch )(rial evidence also s(ggests that
the 1e-phis region was the ad-inistrative
center of the state$ 7ther towns -(st have
developed or were fo(nded as ad-inistrative
centers of the state thro(gho(t Egypt$ Altho(gh it
has )een s(ggested that ancient Egypt was a
civili2ation witho(t cities, this was certainly not
the case$ At sites s(ch as A)ydos, ;iera&onpolis
and "(to, there is so-e archaeological evidence
for early towns, )(t -ost s(ch towns are
pro)a)ly )(ried now (nder all(vi(- or -odern
settle-ents$
1ost ancient Egyptians in the Early Dynastic
period (and all later periods), however, were
far-ers who lived in s-all villages$ #ereal
agric(lt(re was the econo-ic )ase of the ancient
Egyptian state, and )y the Early Dynastic period
si-ple )asin irrigation -ay have )een practiced
which e3tended land (nder c(ltivation and
increased yields$ ;(ge agric(lt(ral s(rpl(ses
were possi)le in this environ-ent, and when
s(ch s(rpl(ses were controlled )y the state they
co(ld s(pport the flowering of Egyptian
civili2ation that is seen in the 1st Dynasty$
ompared with the early cities of southern
Mesopotamia, there is -(ch less evidence in
Early Dynastic Egypt for c(lt centers of the gods$
5o-e of the inscri)ed la)els fro- the 1st
Dynasty have scenes with str(ct(res that are
te-ples or shrines$ Early writing also appears on
so-e of the s-all votive artifacts that were
pro)a)ly offerings or donations to c(lt centers$
Early Dynastic carved stone vessels were
so-eti-es inscri)ed, and signs on so-e of
these s(ggest that they -ay have co-e fro- c(lt
centers$ 5(ch evidence points to the e3istence of
c(lt te-ples o(tside of the royal -ort(ary c(lt,
)(t there is very little archaeological evidence of
this architect(re$ At #optos, A)ydos and
;iera&onpolis, artifacts and deposits fro- early
te-ples have )een e3cavated, and at
;iera&onpolis there is also str(ct(ral evidence of
an early te-ple consisting of a low oval
revet-ent of sandstone )loc&s$ <ecent
e3cavations )y the 6er-an Archaeological
8nstit(te, #airo (DA8) on Elephantine 8sland at the
0irst #ataract have revealed the re-ains of a
shrine dating to the Early Dynastic period, a
fortress )(ilt d(ring the 1st Dynasty and a large
fortified wall enco-passing the town in the 2nd
Dynasty$ .he shrine is very si-ple, consisting
only of so-e -(d)ric& str(ct(res less than !-
wide nestled into a nat(ral niche for-ed )y
granite )o(lders$
!arly !gyptian civili"ation was -ainly
e3pressed in -on(-ental architect(re of the
-ort(ary c(lt, especially the royal to-)s and
f(nerary enclos(res at A)ydos and the large
to-)s of high officials at /orth 5a++ara$ 0or-al
art styles, which are characteristically Egyptian,
also e-erged at the end of the *redynastic
period and in the 1st Dynasty$ %hat is
characteristically Egyptian in the -on(-ental
architect(re and co--e-orative art (s(ch as the
/ar-er *alette) is reflective of f(ll-ti-e
crafts-en and artisans s(pported )y the crown$
Artifacts of the highest +(ality of crafts-anship
are fo(nd in royal and elite to-)s of the period,
incl(ding -any copper tools and vessels$ .his
was pro)a)ly the res(lt of royal e3peditions to
copper -ines in the Eastern Desert and:or
increased trade with copper--ining regions in the
/egev:5inai, and an e3panded copper
prod(ction ind(stry in Egypt$
At #orth $a%%ara, the large to-)s of the 1st
Dynasty provide evidence of an official class of a
large state$ .hese to-)s wo(ld also have )een
the -ost i-portant -on(-ents of the state in the
north and th(s were sy-)olic of the centrali2ed
state r(led very effectively )y the &ing and his
ad-inistrators$ .hat h(ge +(antities of craft
goods were going o(t of circ(lation in the
econo-y and into to-)s is indicative of the
wealth of this early state, which was shared )y a
n(-)er of officials$ #learly, the -ort(ary c(lt was
also of great i-portance to non-royalty and the
ele-ents of royal )(rials were e-(lated in -ore
-odest for- in the e3cl(sive ce-etery at /orth
5a++ara$ 5-aller to-)s and si-ple pit graves
dating to the 1st Dynasty are fo(nd thro(gho(t
Egypt, which is not only evidence of social
stratification )(t also de-onstrates the
i-portance of the -ort(ary c(lt for all classes$
.he si-plest )(rials of this period are pits
e3cavated in the low desert, witho(t coffins and
with only a few pots for grave goods$
In the south, A)ydos was the -ost i-portant
c(lt center, where the &ings of the 1st Dynasty
were )(ried$ 0ro- the very )eginning of the
Dynastic period the instit(tion of &ingship was a
strong and powerf(l one, and it wo(ld re-ain so
thro(gho(t the -a=or historical periods$ /owhere
else in the ancient /ear East at this early date
was &ingship so i-portant and central to control
of the early state$ Altho(gh it was previo(sly
tho(ght that the &ings of the 1st Dynasty were
)(ried at /orth 5a++ara, it is now clear that
these to-)s )elonged to high officials and the
>-- el-?a@a) at A)ydos is the )(rial place of
the &ings of the 1st Dynasty$ 7nly at A)ydos is
there a s-all n(-)er of large to-)s which
correspond to the &ings (and one +(een) of this
dynasty, and only at A)ydos are there the
re-ains of the f(nerary enclos(res for all )(t one
of the r(lers of this dynasty, as has )een
de-onstrated )y David 7@#onnor@s recent
e3cavations$ #alled 'fortresses' )y earlier
e3cavators, the f(nerary enclos(res -ay have
)een where the c(lts of each &ing were practiced
)y priests and personnel after the )(rial in the
royal to-), as was the c(sto- at later royal
-ort(ary co-ple3es$
%hat is clearly evident in the A)ydos royal
ce-etery is the ideology of &ingship, as
sy-)oli2ed in the -ort(ary c(lt$ .hro(gh
ideology and its sy-)olic -aterial for- in to-)s,
widely held )eliefs concerning death ca-e to
reflect the hierarchical social organi2ation of the
living and the state controlled )y the &ing$ .his
was a politically -otivated transfor-ation of the
)elief syste- with direct conse+(ences in the
socioecono-ic syste-$ .he &ing was accorded
the -ost ela)orate )(rial, which was sy-)olic of
his role as -ediator )etween the powers of the
netherworld and his deceased s()=ects, and a
)elief in an earthly and cos-ic order wo(ld have
provided a certain a-o(nt of social cohesiveness
for the Early Dynastic state$
All of the 1st Dynasty tombs at A)ydos have
s()sidiary )(rials in rows aro(nd the royal
)(rials, and this is the only ti-e in ancient Egypt
when h(-ans were sacrificed for royal )(rials$
*erhaps officials, priests, retainers and wo-en
fro- the royal ho(sehold were sacrificed to serve
their &ing in the afterlife$ .he to-) of D=er has
the -ost s()sidiary )(rials-33!, )(t the later
royal )(rials have fewer$ 8n later ti-es, s-all
servant stat(es -ay have )eco-e -ore
accepta)le s()stit(tes$
&he Abydos evidence demonstrates the h(ge
e3pendit(re of the state on the -ort(ary
co-ple3es, )oth to-)s and f(nerary enclos(res,
of &ings of the 1st Dynasty$ .hese &ings had
control over vast reso(rcesA craft goods
prod(ced in co(rt wor&shops, goods and
-aterials i-ported in h(ge +(antities fro-
a)road, and pro)a)ly conscripted la)or (as well
as la)or that co(ld )e sacrificed for )(rial with
the &ing)$ .he para-o(nt role of the &ing is
certainly sy-)oli2ed in these -on(-ents, and
the sy-)ols of the royal -ort(ary c(lt which
evolved at A)ydos wo(ld )eco-e f(rther
ela)orated in the pyra-id co-ple3es of the 7ld
and 1iddle ,ingdo-s$
&here is much less evidence for the kings of
the 2nd Dynasty than those of the 1st Dynasty$
6iven what is &nown a)o(t the early 7ld
,ingdo- in the 3rd Dynasty, the 2nd Dynasty
-(st have )een when the econo-ic and political
fo(ndations were p(t in place for the strongly
centrali2ed state which developed with tr(ly vast
reso(rces$ .he only 2nd Dynasty -on(-ents at
A)ydos are two to-)s and two f(nerary
enclos(res which )elonged to the last two &ings
of this dynasty, *eri)sen and ,hase&he-wy$
,hase&he-wy@s to-) consists of one long
gallery, divided into 5! roo-s with a central )(rial
cha-)er -ade of +(arried li-estoneB this is the
earliest &nown large constr(ction in stone$ %here
the early &ings of this dynasty were )(ried is
(ncertain, as there is no evidence of their to-)s
at A)ydos$ At 5a++ara, two enor-o(s series of
(ndergro(nd galleries, each over 100- long,
have )een fo(nd so(th of Coser@s 5tep *yra-id
co-ple3, and possi)ly two &ings of this dynasty
were )(ried there$ Associated with these
galleries are the seal i-pressions of the first
three &ings of the 2nd Dynasty (;etepse&he-wy,
<ane) and /ynet=er) and the third &ing -ight
have )een )(ried in a to-) consisting of
galleries now )eneath Coser@s co-ple3$
&he best preserved funerary enclosure
at A)ydos )elonged to ,hase&e-wy$ 8ts niched
inner walls are still preserved (p to 10-11- in
height and enclose an area circa 12D35-$ 8n
1E!! 7@#onnor discovered a large -o(nd of
sand and gravel covered with -(d)ric&,
appro3i-ately s+(are in plan, within this
enclos(re$ .his -o(nd was located -ore or less
in the sa-e area as the 5tep *yra-id of Coser@s
co-ple3 at 5a++ara (3rd Dynasty), which )egan
as a low -asta)a str(ct(re and only in its fo(rth
stage was e3panded to a stepped str(ct(re$ "oth
co-ple3es, of ,hase&e-wy and of Coser, were
s(rro(nded )y h(ge niched enclos(re walls with
only one entrance in the so(theast$ Coser@s
co-ple3 was constr(cted D0-50 years after
,hase&e-wy@s, and very possi)ly the -o(nd at
A)ydos is evidence for a 'proto-pyra-id'
str(ct(re$ .h(s at A)ydos the evol(tion of the
royal -ort(ary c(lt and its -on(-ental for- can
clearly )e seen, which )y the 3rd Dynasty ca-e
to reflect a new order of royal control over vast
reso(rces and la)or for the constr(ction of the
earliest -on(-ent in the world )(ilt entirely in
stone$
Also recently discovered at A)ydos are twelve
)oat )(rials, located =(st o(tside the northeast
o(ter wall of ,hase&he-wy@s enclos(re$ .hese
)(rials consist of pits which contained wooden
h(lls of )oats 1!-21- long, )(t only a)o(t 50c-
high$ Associated pottery is Early Dynastic$
5-aller )oat )(rials have also )een fo(nd with
Early Dynastic to-)s at 5a++ara and ;elwan,
)(t their p(rpose is (n&nown$ .hose at A)ydos
are the earliest evidence of s(ch )(rials
associated with the royal -ort(ary c(lt$ 4ater, at
6i2a in the Dth Dynasty, the -ost fa-o(s )oat
)(rials are the two (ndist(r)ed )oats ne3t to
,h(f(@s pyra-id$
In the 'nd Dynasty, high officials of the state
contin(ed to )e )(ried at /orth 5a++ara$ /ear
>nas@s pyra-id (5 th Dynasty), Fa-es ?(i)ell
e3cavated five large s()terranean to-)s, the
largest of which (.o-) 2302) consists of 2G
roo-s )eneath a -(d)ric& s(perstr(ct(re$ .he
2nd Dynasty to-)s were designed with roo-s
for f(nerary goods that were e3cavated deep in
the )edroc& where they were -ore protected
fro- grave ro))ing than the earlier storage
roo-s in the s(perstr(ct(re$ /iches placed on
the east side of the s(perstr(ct(re (for offerings)
in 2nd Dynasty to-)s are a design feat(re that
wo(ld )e fo(nd in private to-)s thro(gho(t the
7ld ,ingdo-$ 4ater 2nd Dynasty to-)s at
5a++ara, which pro)a)ly )elonged to -iddle
level officials, are si-ilar in design to the
standard -asta)a to-) of the 7ld ,ingdo-, with
a s-all -(d)ric& s(perstr(ct(re a)ove a vertical
shaft leading to the )(rial cha-)er$
5hort wooden coffins for contracted )(rials,
which were fo(nd only in elite to-)s in the 1st
Dynasty, are -(ch -ore co--on in 2nd Dynasty
to-)s, s(ch as those at ;elwan$ At 5a++ara,
%alter E-ery fo(nd corpses wrapped in linen
)andages soa&ed in resin, early evidence of
so-e atte-pt to preserve the act(al )ody )efore
-(--ification techni+(es had )een wor&ed o(t$
5(ch -eas(res were necessitated )y )(rial in a
coffin, as opposed to *redynastic )(rials which
were nat(rally dehydrated in war- sand in a pit
in the desert$ .he increased (se of wood and
resin in -iddle stat(s )(rials of the 2nd Dynasty
pro)a)ly also points to greatly increased contact
and trade with 4e)anon$
&he architecture, art and associated )eliefs of
the early 7ld ,ingdo- clearly evolved fro- for-s
of the Early Dynastic period$ .his was a ti-e of
consolidation of the enor-o(s gains of
(nificationHwhich co(ld easily have failedH
when a state )(rea(cracy was s(ccessf(lly
organi2ed and e3panded to )ring the entire
co(ntry (nder its control$ .his was done thro(gh
ta3ation, to s(pport the crown and its pro=ects on
a grand scale, which incl(ded e3peditions for
goods and -aterials to the 5inai, *alestine,
4e)anon, 4ower /()ia and the Eastern Desert$
#onscription -(st also have )een practiced, to
)(ild the large royal -ort(ary -on(-ents and to
s(pply soldiers for -ilitary e3peditions$ .he (se
of early writing no do()t facilitated s(ch state
organi2ation$
.here were o)vio(s rewards to )eing
)(rea(crats of the state, as is seen in the early
ce-eteries on )oth sides of the river in the
1e-phis region$ "elief in the rewards of a
-ort(ary c(lt, where h(ge +(antities of goods
were going o(t of circ(lation in the econo-y, was
a cohesive factor which helped to integrate this
society in )oth the north and so(th$ 8n the early
Dynasties when the crown )egan to e3ert
enor-o(s control over land, reso(rces and la)or,
the ideology of the god-&ing legiti-i2ed s(ch
control and )eca-e increasingly powerf(l as a
(nifying )elief syste-$
&he flowering of early civili"ation in Egypt was
the res(lt of -a=or transfor-ations in
sociopolitical and econo-ic organi2ation, and in
the )elief syste-$ .hat this state was s(ccessf(l
for a very long ti-eHcirca !00 years (ntil the
end of the 7ld ,ingdo-His in part d(e to the
enor-o(s potential of cereal agric(lt(re on the
/ile floodplain, )(t it is also a res(lt of Egyptian
organi2ational s&ills and the strongly developed
instit(tion of &ingship$