| Prehistoric -- pre 5500 B.C.E. | |
| Farmers begin to plant and harvest crops in the Nile Valley, including wheat and barley | |
| Predynastic / Protodynastic -- c. 5500 - c. 3100 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasties 0 & 1 | |
| 4236 BCE - First recorded date in Egypt | |
| Animals begin to be domesticated and bred in captivity | |
| Social structures begin developing | |
| Oared and Sailed boats navigate the Nile | |
| Buildings constructed using mud bricks and wattle & daub | |
| City planning comes into play | |
| Specialization of crafts | |
| Copper, Iron, and other metals imported from Mesopotamia | |
| Pottery invented | |
| Hieroglyphs appear | |
| Wallpaintings and stone carvings appear | |
| Thinis is the first capital | |
| Early Dynastic -- c. 3100 - c. 2686 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasty 2 | |
| c. 3050 BCE - Unification of Upper & Lower Egypt | |
| Capital established at Memphis | |
| Papyrus paper appears | |
| Old Kingdom -- c. 2686 - 2181 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasties 3 - 6 | |
| c. 2650 BCE - Step pyramids at Saqqara built | |
| c. 2615 BCE - Pyramids built at Meidum & Dashur | |
| c. 2580 BCE - Great Pyramids constructed at Giza | |
| c. 2530 BCE - Sphinx built at Giza | |
| c. 2500 BCE - Copper replaces stone as primary tools & weapon material | |
| First Intermediate Period -- c. 2181 - c. 2055 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasties 7 - 10 | |
| Dynasties of Thebes and Herakleopolis control Egypt | |
| Middle Kingdom -- c. 2055 - c. 1750 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasties 11 - 13 | |
| c. 2000 BCE - Bronze used as tools & weapons | |
| Egypt occupies, and later conquers, Nubia | |
| Egypt begins trading with Syria and Palestine | |
| Mudbrick pyramids built at Dashur and Middle Egypt | |
| Rock-cut tombs appear in Middle Egypt | |
| Second Intermediate Period -- c. 1750 - c. 1550 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasties 13 - 17 | |
| Hyksos rule the Delta region | |
| 175 kings are named from this period on the kings list of Turin | |
| c. 1600 BCE - Horses introduced into Egypt | |
| New Kingdom -- c. 1550 - c. 1069 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasties 18 - 20 | |
| c. 1550 - c. 1069 BCE - Tombs built in the Valley of the Kings | |
| c. 1348 BCE - Worship of Aten introduced by Akhenaten; Aten becomes the primary / official God
- Captial is moved to modern Tel El-Amarna |
|
| c. 1336 BCE - Capital moved back to Thebes after Akhenaten's death
- Temples & Shrines to gods other than Aten are reopened |
|
| c. 1250 BCE - Hypostyle Hall at Karnak decorated by Ramesses II | |
| c. 1274 BCE - Battle at Qadesh fought against the Hittites | |
| c. 1209 BCE - Sea Peoples of the Mediterranean attack Egypt | |
| c. 1176 BCE - Ramesses III defeats the Sea Peoples | |
| Third Intermediate Period -- c. 1069 - c. 747 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasties 21 - 25 | |
| Upper Egypt ruled by local rulers & Theban priests
Lower Egypt ruled by kings from the Delta |
|
| Late Period -- c. 747 - 332 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasties 26 - 31 | |
| 671 BCE - Egypt invaded by the Assyrians | |
| 525 BCE - Egypt becomes part of the Persian Empire | |
| Ptolemaic Period -- 332 - 30 B.C.E. | |
| Dynasties 32 & 33 | |
| 332 BCE - Alexander the Great conquers Egypt and founds Alexandria as its new capital | |
| 305 BCE - Ptolemy gains posession of Egypt after Alexander's death | |
| 30 BCE - Death of Cleopatra VII | |
| Roman Period -- 30 B.C.E. - 395 C.E. | |
| 30 BCE - Egypt becomes part of the Roman Empire | |
| 324 - Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire | |
| 395 - Roman Empire "falls"; Egypt becomes part of the Byzantine Empire | |