Pre-dynastic tomb sheds light on Egyptian life before Pharaohs

Earlier this month, archaeologists announced the discovery of an extremely rare tomb containing a preserved mummy and numerous artifacts, which date back to a period which predates the First Pharaonic Dynasty. Now researchers have released more details of the discovery and have revealed how the incredible finding is shedding new light on the ancestors of the pharaohs, according to a National Geographic report.

The Pre-dynastic Period of Ancient Egypt (prior to 3,100 BC) is traditionally the period between the Early Neolithic and the beginning of the Pharaonic monarchy beginning with the rule of King Narmer, the founder of the First Dynasty who unified Upper and Lower Egypt.  With the First Dynasty, the capital moved from Abydos to Memphis where the Egyptian ‘god-king’ ruled a unified polity that extended from the Nile Delta to the first cataract at Aswan.