New timeline for origin of ancient Egypt established

BBC : Ancient Egypt is now being studied with greater temporal resolution thanks to radiocarbon dating. Lacking written records, archaeologists have relied on digging up and studying ceramics and other artifacts from human burial sites to try to pinpoint key periods in the civilization. Now, researchers are adding to that knowledge information gathered from excavated hair samples, bones, and plants. Combining the new data with computer modeling, Michael Dee of the University of Oxford and colleagues have established an absolute chronology for early Egypt. What they found was that Egypt evolved from an agricultural society to a territorial state much more quickly than previously thought—over a period of just a few hundred years. They have also been able to date the reigns of the first eight kings and queens who formed Egypt’s first dynasty, starting in 3100 BCE.