2014/03/01 by David Wengrow, Michael Dee, Sarah Foster +2 · 3 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Ancient Egypt and Archaeology #Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/s0003598x00050249
openalex publication_date 2014/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
The African origins of Egyptian civilisation lie in an important cultural horizon, the ‘primary pastoral community’, which emerged in both the Egyptian and Sudanese parts of the Nile Valley in the fifth millennium BC. A re-examination of the chronology, assisted by new AMS determinations from Neolithic sites in Middle Egypt, has charted the detailed development of these new kinds of society. The resulting picture challenges recent studies that emphasise climate change and environmental stress as drivers of cultural adaptation in north-east Africa. It also emphasises the crucial role of funerary practices and body decoration.