| Time |
Period |
Important Events |
| Pre-3100 BC |
Predynastic Period |
- Area around the Nile settled due to overgrazing and weather changes which led to the creation of the Sahara desert.
- 4000 BC: Use of tomb building and burial rituals started.
- 3500 BC: Hieroglyphic writing developed.
|
| 3200 - 3000 BC |
Protodynastic Period |
- Thinis, one of three states of Upper Egypt, takes over Naqada and Nekhen (other two of three states), as well as the whole of Lower Egypt.
- Unified Egypt created.
|
| 2950 - 2575 BC |
Early Dynastic Period
(1st - 2nd dynasties) |
- Capital of Egypt built in Memphis.
- First king of unified Egypt believed to be Menes, Narmer, or Hor-aha.
|
| 2575 - 2150 BC |
Old Kingdom
(3rd - 6th dynasties) |
- 2600 BC: Pyramid of Djoser built, first known large-scale stone building.
- Menkaure's Pyramid built, earliest use of carved granite.
- Red Pyramid, first smooth-sided pyramid.
- 2580 BC: Great Pyramid of Giza built. Tallest structure until 1300 AD.
- Art of embalming started.
|
| 2125 - 1975 BC |
1st Intermediate Period
(7th - 11th dynasties) |
- Unification of Egypt fell apart.
- Weather changes stopped the flooding of the Nile, caused many years of famine.
|
| 1975 - 1640 BC |
Middle Kingdom
(12th - 13th dynasties) |
- 2055 BC: Mentuhotep II reunited Egypt.
- 1878 BC: Senusret III attempts to extend Egypt, begins military campaigns to Nubia.
- Under Amenemhat III's 45 year reign, the Valley of the Kings was used.
|
| 1630 - 1520 BC |
2nd Intermediate Period
(14th - 17th dynasties) |
- Egypt once again no longer unified at the start of the 14th Dynasty (Hyksos kings rule in the North).
- 17th Dynasty reunites Egypt and defeats the Hyksos from Western Asia.
|
| 1539 - 1075 BC |
New Kingdom
(18th - 20th dynasties) |
- Reign of Hatshepsut, first female pharaoh.
- Reign of Akhenaten.
Built a new capital called Akhetaten.
- Formed new monotheistic religion based around the sun disk, Aten.
Banned worship of old gods.
- Reign of Horemheb, focused on re-establishing the Egypt that existed before Akhenaten.
- Valley of Queens made, though some wives were still buried with their husbands.
- Reign of Ramses II, ruled for 67 years and had numerous temples built, such as Abu Simbel.
- 1258 BC: World's earliest known peace treaty created.
|
| 1075 - 715 BC |
3rd Intermediate Period
(21st - 25th dynasties) |
- Egypt once again split into two separate areas, Upper and Lower.
|
| 715 - 332 BC |
Late Period
(26th - 31st dynasties) |
- 525 BC: Egypt conquered by the Persians.
- 404 BC: Independent again.
|
| 332 BC - 395 AD |
Greco-Roman Period |
- Alexander the Great invades Egypt; is eventually declared Pharaoh.
- Alexandria built.
- 304 BC - 30 BC: Descendants of Ptolemy I, Alexander's general, rule Egypt while maintaining Egyptian style of rule.
- 229 B: Library of Alexandria founded.
- 146 BC: Rosetta Stone cut.
- 30 BC: Roman conquest of Egypt, Egypt restored to its prior wealth and prestige as a trade center.
- 42 AD: Library of Alexandria burns, loses 40,000 of its 70,000 books and manuscripts in the blaze.
- 212 AD: Egyptians given Roman Citizenship.
- 300 AD: Rise of Christianity in Egypt.
|
| 640 AD - Present |
|
- 640 AD: Egypt conquered by Arab forces, becomes Islamic after 300 years of Christianity.
- 1799 AD: Rosetta Stone found by Napoleon's soldiers.
- 1822 AD: Rosetta Stone deciphered.
- 1870 AD: mummy caches found.
- 19th Century: Valley of the Kings found.
- 1922 AD: Tutankhamun's tomb found by Howard Carter.
|
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