A Tour of Egypt 29state. This is generally termed the prehistoric, archaic, and
Predynastic periods of Egyptian history. The Predynastic
period lasted from about 3150–3050 BC. By around 3150 BC,
highly stratified states existed in the two separate kingdoms
of Upper and Lower Egypt. The boundaries were pretty
much as recognised today. Upper Egypt constituted the area
from the beginning of the Delta southward, whereas Lower
Egypt covered the Delta region. Just as settled village life
was inextricably tied to the narrow, elongated fertile strip
along the Nile, the river also provided the avenue for traffic
and communication.
Most of Egypt’s outstanding monuments were constructed
during her Pharaonic period. Egyptian dynastic history
reckons that Egypt became a unified kingdom at about
3150 BC when King Menes (Narmer) succeeded in unifying
Upper and Lower Egypt. There is no historical record of
King Menes who placed his capital at Memphis about 40 km
(25 miles) south of current-day Cairo. Some think the
unification credited to Menes may be more a symbolic
than a political act. However, Egypt’s initial unification
appears to have lasted through the end of the Old Kingdom
(ca 2575–2150 BC).
Egypt’s most enduring icon, the Great Pyramids, are a legacy of the
Pharaonic era.