Before pyramids, pharaohs and hieroglyphs, the Nile Valley was home to a range of early cultures whose lives laid the groundwork for ancient Egypt. This course introduces the Pre and Early Dynastic periods, from around 5500 to 2600 BC, through archaeology, key sites and material remains. You’ll explore settlement, religion, funerary practices and the processes that led to the unification of the Egyptian state. Ideal for beginners, this course offers an engaging entry point into Egyptian prehistory and the challenges of reconstructing a world before writing.

DELIVERY MODE

Hybrid (Face to face and online simultaneously)

COURSE OUTLINE

• Pre-Dynastic Egypt: key cultures and their cities
• Religion and Funerary practices
• Interaction between cultures: the path to a unified Egypt
• Early Dynastic Egypt: the emergence of kingship
• Excavating early Egypt: how archaeology reveals history through things

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Place of the Pre and Early Dynastic Periods in ancient Egyptian chronology
2. Recognise the key sites and cultures inhabiting the Nile Valley during Early Egypt
3. Understand the historical development of the unified Egyptian state
4. Explore religion, daily life, and funerary practices through material cultural remains