The Protodynastic Period of Egypt refers to the period of time at the very end of the Predynastic Period. It is equivalent to the archaeological phase known as Naqada III, and is generally dated to circa 3100–3000 BC. It is sometimes known as Dynasty 0 or the Late Predynastic Period. The Predynastic period of Egypt is the period that culminates in the rise of the Old Kingdom and the first of the thirty dynasties based on royal residences, by which Egyptologists divide the history of Pharaonic civilization, using a schedule laid out first by Manethos Aegyptaica. ...

The Protodynastic Period is characterised as being the time when ancient Egypt was undergoing the process of political unification, leading to a unified state during the Early Dynastic Period. Furthermore, it is during this time when the Egyptian language was first being recorded in hieroglyphs. There is also strong archaeological evidence of Egyptian settlements in southern Palestine during the Protodynastic Period, which have been regarded as colonies or trading entrepôts. Map of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was the civilization of the Nile Valley between about 3000 BC and the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. As a civilization based on irrigation, it is the quintessential example of a hydraulic empire. ... The Early Dynastic Period of Egypt is taken to include the First and the Second dynasties, lasting from ca. ... Ebers Papyrus detailing treatment of asthma Records of the Ancient Egyptian language have been dated about 3000 BC. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic group of languages and is related to Berber and Semitic (languages such as Arabic and Hebrew). ... Hieroglyphs are a system of writing used by the Ancient Egyptians, using a combination of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements. ... The term Palestine may refer to: Palestine: A geographical region in the Middle East, centered on Jerusalem. ... In politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a geographically-distinct state (or city, in ancient times). ... An entrepôt is a trading centre, or simply a warehouse, where merchandise can be imported and re-exported without paying import duties. ...

Most Egyptologists consider Narmer to be a king of this period (though some place him in the First dynasty), as well as the so-called "Scorpion king(s)". Egyptologist is the designation given to an archaeologist or historian who specialises in Egyptology, the scientific study of Ancient Egypt and its antiquities. ... Narmer was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled in the 32nd century BC. The successor of Serket, he is considered by some to be the founder of the First dynasty. ... The First and second Dynasties of Ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title of the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt. ...

References

• Anđelković, Branislav. 2002. "Southern Canaan as an Egyptian Protodynastic Colony." Cahiers Caribéens d’Égyptologie 3/4 (Dix ans de hiéroglyphes au campus):75–92.
• Bard, Katherine, A. 2000. "The Emergence of the Egyptian State." In The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, edited by Ian Shaw. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. 61–88
• Midant-Reynes, Béatrix. 2000. The Prehistory of Egypt: From the First Egyptians to the First Pharaohs. Translated by Ian Shaw. Oxford and Malden: Blackwell Publishers
• Wilkinson, Toby Alexander Howard. 2001. Early Dynastic Egypt. 2nd ed. London: Routledge
• Wright, Mary. 1985. "Conacts Between Egypt and Syro-Palestine During the Protodynastic Period." Biblical Archeologist: Perspectives on the Ancient World from Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean 48 (4):240–253.

External Resources

• Dynasty 0 (http://xoomer.virgilio.it/francescoraf/hesyra/dynasty0.htm)
• Naqada III: Dynasty 0 (http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/hdyn00.htm)