This essentially
means that the first dynasty which was itself the culmination of an
accumulation of resources and state power under a single family starts around
3100 BC. This dynasty then matured over
the next five hundred years which is a typical span to then underwrite the
building of the Great Pyramid in 2400 BC.
It is thus
reasonable to propose that the Atlantean world was rising simultaneously and
been sea borne, was leading an exploration of the globe itself. Thus we infer the early emergence of Atlantean
culture coincident with the beginning of this dynasty.
Sumerian culture
established itself as an organizing entity at much the same time after a
thousand years of development in the form of independent communities. Thus we identify the idea of geographic
kingships at much the same time. These
geographic zones were alluvial plains and it should be noted that in Egypt, it
was the Nile delta naturally extending into Libya.
8
Rulers of Ancient Egypt: Most Precise Timeline Revealed
By By Laura Poppick, Staff
Writer | LiveScience.com – Tue, 3 Sep, 2013
The most precise chronology of Early Egypt yet suggests the country
formed much more quickly than previously thought.
The new finding
reveals a robust timeline for the first eight kings and queens of Egypt,
including, in order of succession Aha, Djer, Djet, Queen Merneith, Den,
Anedjib, Semerkhet and Qa'a. The accession
of King Aha to the throne is often thought to define the start of the Egyptian state,
with the new study suggesting (with 68 percent probability) that he became
king between 3111 B.C. and 3045 B.C.
Existing timelines
of Egypt's transition from a nomadic community along the Nile River to a permanent state are mainly based on changes in pottery
artifacts found at various locations around the country. However, such
timelines are flawed due to the subjectivity required to distinguish one
pottery style from another, and because styles might vary from site to site
without signifying a change in time period.
To create a more
reliable timeline, archaeologists based at the University of Oxford have
developed the most comprehensive chronological analyses of Early Egypt artifacts yet based on a computer model of existing and newly
measured radiocarbon dates. The analyses suggest the rise to statehood
occurred between 200 and 300 years faster than previously thought, beginning
between 3800 B.C. and 3700 B.C., rather than the past estimate of 4000 B.C. The
findings, which also suggest the preceding Neolithic period lasted longer than
thought, are detailed Sept. 4 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A.
The resulting
dates for each ruler were accurate to within 32 years, and with 68 percent
probability, the researchers said. The dates revealed King Djer ruled from
about 3073 B.C. to 3036 B.C.; King Djet from 2989–2941 B.C.; Queen Merneith
from 2946–2916 B.C.; King Den from 2928–2911 B.C.; King Anedjib from 2916–2896
B.C.; King Semerkhet from 2912–2891 B.C.; and King Qa'a from 2906–2886 B.C.
"We got a whole
lot more dates, did the model, and got the computer to work out what this means
for when things actually happened," said Michael Dee, an archaeologist at
the University of Oxford and a co-author on the paper. "Nobody had ever
done that before."
The team analyzed
organic material from artifacts obtained from museum collections that were not
in good enough shape to go on display. The samples included animal remains,
shells, plant material and charcoal.
"A lot of the
stuff is not is particularly beautiful," Dee said. "It ends up in
crates in storage, but a lot of that is gold dust for radiocarbon dating."
To determine the
age of the materials, the team measured the amount of radioactive carbon-14 in
each sample and used the known decay rate of carbon-14 to calculate an age.
Such calculations are not exact and produce results that represent a window of
time, usually ranging between 200 to 300 years or so. By placing the dates in a
computer model, the team was able to identify distinct periods of overlap in
artifacts from the same time period, producing narrower and more precise age
windows.
Only very small
quantities of material were needed for the analyses, ranging from roughly 10
milligrams – about the size of a fingernail clipping – for plant material, to
as much as 0.5 grams (0.02 ounces) for bone.
Egypt was, by some
standards, the world's first country as countries are known today. Other existing settlements at
the time were isolated city-states, but Egypt developed into a more complex and
expansive settlement similar to modern countries today, Dee said.
The team hopes
that their results will help inform future research on Early Egypt culture, but does not
have plans to produce more dates from Egypt.
"This is not
the end of the road at all, but in terms of our work, we have done most of what
we can do for now," Dee said.
Similar types of
in-depth chronologies would benefit other regions lacking such precise
timelines, including Mesopotamia, said Dee.
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