Archaeologists Uncover When First Dynasty of Kings Ruled Ancient Egypt

Thousands of years ago, the kings of Egypt created the very first dynasty. This ancient kingdom ruled over the region and was the first territorial state to be brought under one political ruler. Now, researchers have pinpointed when this first dynasty emerged, revealing that this period of unification happened far more quickly than previously thought.

Until now, researchers have mainly relied on archaeological evidence alone when it comes to piecing together the timings of key chronological events during Egypt's history. They've used the evolving styles of ceramics unearthed at human burial sites to help them date findings. Now, though, scientists have used another method to help with this effort.

In this latest study, the researchers used fresh radiocarbon dates combined with existing archaeological evidence in order to create a mathematical model. This model pinpointed the likeliest date for each king's accession. In fact, the date of each king is thought to be accurate to within 32 years (with 68 percent probability). This modeled timeline, in turn, reveals lengths of reign that are approximately what you would expect in terms of lifespan.

The Egyptian state first began when King Aha acceded to the throne between 3111 BC and 3045 BC. He was followed by Djer, Djet, Queen Merneith, Den, Anedjib, Semerkhet and Qa'a. These kings and queens would have ruled over a territory spanning a similar area to Egypt today with borders at Aswan in the south, the Mediterranean Sea in the north and across to the modern-day Gaza strip in the east.

The researchers also found that the Predynastic period was far shorter than expected. While scientists widely assumed that the period started around 4000 BC, it probably started closer to 3800 or 3700 BC. This means that the Neolithic period before it lasted longer and finished later.

The findings reveal that Egypt formed far more rapidly than previously thought. In addition, it shows that archaeologists should use all of the tools at their disposal rather than just relying on archaeological evidence.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences.