Prehistoric Egypt

As Prehistoric Era denote Egyptology and archeology within the period of Egyptian history before the actual Prädynastik from the Paleolithic Age to the beginning of the Badari culture. According to Egyptologists, such as Stan Hendrickx the distinction between history and Prädynastik and their distribution is problematic, since the term " Prädynastik " indeed would cover the entire history before the state Education, adopted in the Egyptological practice, however, much narrower.

For the hunter-gatherers in the Pleistocene to the end of their previous way of life became apparent when the climate became drier about 25,000 years ago and the grasslands turned into a dry desert landscape. The regular flooding of the Nile were a fertile landscape, which promoted the settlement of people.

Most Late Palaeolithic localities in the Nile valley are small but show signs of repeated seasonal use. In the swamps and meadows on the Nile, which at that time was much smaller than it is today, with a river bed, which was about 15 meters higher, food plants were collected. Especially the starch-rich rhizomes of nut grass ( Cyperus rotundus ), a sour grass, was used as food. In addition, the residents 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, where it was all about catfish. Among the birds, ruled waterfowl such as ducks and geese before. In addition, you ate hippos, wild donkeys, rabbits, bison, gazelles and shellfish such as freshwater pearl mussel. In the delta, probably wild barley has already been collected.

Holocene

With the transition to the Holocene and the displacement of the monsoon zone to the north the climate was much wetter. The water level of the Nile increased and its high floods were unpredictable. In the remains of fish, there is now before the Nilhecht; to catch him, bone harpoons were used. Were hunted waterfowl, gazelle, wild cattle, crocodiles and hippos. Due to the increased flooding lowlands were like the Fayyum and the Nabta - alluvial be colonized. Here plants such as knotweed, yellow dock and rushes were used. In Nabta Playa - pottery is also demonstrated since about 6000 BC. The dwelling places consisted of regularly arranged huts with hearths and storage pits. Three types of barley, legumes, millet ( Panicum and Sorghum ), and numerous other plants were detected. From the eastern desert, there are from this period evidence of early farming.

Neolithic

The earliest Neolithic cultures of Egypt were found in the Fayyum ( Fayoum A culture, ca 5000 BC). The living there farmers lived in small settlements on the outskirts of Fayumsees, built on cereals and pitched it in silos under the earth. Stone tools and simple crockery are attested. Here there is also the oldest evidence of weaving in Egypt.

Merimde culture

A little later, the so-called Merimde culture is to be set, which is similar in many respects the Fayum A culture. There is evidence of clay sculptures. The dead are buried in the settlement area without many additions.

Omari culture and Maadi culture

The Lower Egyptian Omari culture is known mainly by a locality in Cairo. The peasants lived in small huts, which were partially buried in the earth. The dead were buried in pits without a lot of offerings. In Lower Egypt it follows the Maadi culture (ca. 4000-3400 BC).