The earliest evidence for human settlement in the Nile region is mainly in the Upper and Middle Nile areas. The earliest evidence of civilization in the Nile region has been dated to around 4000 - 5000 BC. This coincides with the end of the Neolithic wet phase around 2350 BC. The Nile valley and  North Africa of this era was a pretty tropical one during this wet period of roughly 15,000 years. Plentiful rains provided for dense foliage and thick grasslands. The abundance of food attracted many large animals such as elephants and rhinos, as well as attracting the first waves of humans.

As time went on however and the glaciers retreated, the once lush landscape grew ever more sparse and arid. The one time tropical paradise slowly began to dry and wither, forcing the large animals to look elsewhere for their living. The humans clustered together along a narrow swath of water called the Nile RIver. The yearly and predictable  flooding by the river made the need for constant rains to water crops un-needed, so the humans looked to the river as a God-send - a god in and of itself. The Nile gave them water to drink and fresh fertile soil for their crops.

The predynastic times in the Nile shows a gradual change from the hunter gather culture, that suited very well the wet peroid of Egypt, to a culture of domesticated crops of wheat, barley, and flax. Cosmetics also gradually became more prominate as the dry climate was favorable to skin and eye problems. Combs made of bone as well as needles let the early people to sew leathered animal skins together for clothing. This age also saw the domestication of animals like dogs, sheep, pigs, and geese.

The political life of the predynasties resembled that of ancient Greek city-states. Villages and small settlements looked to local chieftains and specific deities for leadership and their powers extended not far from their respective towns. However as time marches on, these towns and villages begin allying themselves with one another. The early evidence shows that there was an Upper Egyptian confederation who looked to the god Seth for guidance, and a corresponding Lower Egyptian confederation who had Horus as their guiding deity. Seth has been depicted as a long snouted animal - possibly a pig - and Horus as a falcon. These two symbols have long been representative to Egyptians as the embodiment representatives of Upper and Lower Egypt.

The early belief in a shaman who could call the rains to water the fields was soon vested in the leader of the Nile people - the one which people of today commonly call "Pharoah". In him was invested the health and well-being of his people. If he was good and did right in the eyes of the gods, the Nile would bring good things. But if he did wrong or did not do the rituals required of him, the Nile flood would only be a trickle and famine would devour the land. Several times a pharoah's worth was determined by the success of the Nile floods the he suppossedily controlled. The first king in Egypt that we know of is one named Scorpion -  around 3060 BC. However it is said by early Egyptian historians that the first one to unite Upper and Lower Egypt was a king named Menes.....believed to be Narmar (c. 3050 BC), the first king of the First Dynasty.
 

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