Predynastic Period

The prehistory of Egypt spans the period from earliest human settlement to the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt around c. 3100 BC, starting with the first Pharaoh, Narmer for some egyptologists, Hor-Aha for others, (also known as Menes). This Predynastic era is traditionally equivalent to the final part of the Neolithic period beginning c. 6000 BC and corresponds to the Naqada III period.

The dates of the Predynastic period were first defined before widespread archaeological excavation of Egypt took place, and recent finds indicating very gradual Predynastic development have led to controversy over when exactly the Predynastic period ended. Thus, the term "Protodynastic period", sometimes called the "Zero Dynasty", has been used by scholars to name the part of the period which might be characterized as Predynastic by some and Early Dynastic by others.

The Predynastic period is generally divided into cultural periods, each named after the place where a certain type of Egyptian settlement was first discovered. However, the same gradual development that characterizes the Protodynastic period is present throughout the entire Predynastic period, and individual "cultures" must not be interpreted as separate entities but as largely subjective divisions used to facilitate study of the entire period.

The vast majority of Predynastic archaeological finds have been in Upper Egypt, because the silt of the Nile River was more heavily deposited at the Delta region, completely burying most Delta sites long before modern times.

The Late Paleolithic in Egypt started around 30,000 BC. The Nazlet Khater skeleton was found in 1980 and dated in 1982 from nine samples ranging between 35,100 and 30,360 years. This specimen is the only complete modern human skeleton from the earliest Late Stone Age in Africa.

Excavation of the Nile has exposed early stone tools. The earliest of these lithic industries were located within the 30-metre (100 ft) terrace, and were Chellean, primitive Acheulean and an Egyptian form of the Clactonian. Within the 15-metre (50 ft) terrace was developed Acheulean. Originally reported as Early Mousterian but since changed to Levalloisean, other implements were located in the 10-metre (30 ft) terrace. The 4.5- and 3-metre (15-10 ft) terraces saw a more developed version of the Levalloisean, also initially reported as an Egyptian version of Mousterian. Finally, tools of the Egyptian Sebilian technology and an Egyptian version of the Aterian technology were also located.

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