Egypt, Africa : First Contacts with Other Cultures

Ancient Egypt encountered many different cultures dating all the way back to 7500 BC to 343 BC. From here there are records of the Egyptians coming in contact with other cultures during 8 different time periods in Ancient Egyptian History. The first documented cultural encounter was in Prehistoric Nabta Playa (7500 BC). In Nabta Playa, located south of modern-day Cairo, prehistoric Egyptians began coming in contact with the people of southwest Asia. The reason for this meeting was the Egyptians were exporting sheep and goats to the Asian people. Between 4500 – 4000 BC the Badari people began sharing their culture with the distant people of Syria and Uruk. The Badarian culture would have been significant for the Syrian and Uruk people because their culture was sufficient. The people could learn many different things from the Badarian culture such as: planting wheat and barley, the keeping of sheep and goats, hunting and fishing skills from the Nile River, and architecture of their buildings. In the Naqada I period, (4400 – 3100 BC), historians have the most records and artifacts of Egyptians coming in contact with different cultures and societies. In the beginning of this time period, the Egyptians were starting to explore different cultures in their own continent; Africa. First, the Egyptians began trading with Nubia to the south, the oases of the western desert to the west, and cultures in the eastern Mediterranean such as Syria and Cyprus (wiki). They also began imported obsidian (volcanic glass) from Ethiopia so they can shape blades and other warfare objects (wiki). There is also historical evidence that pottery and other artifacts from southwest Asia have been found in Ancient Egypt. By the end of the 4^th millennium BC, Egyptians were importing pottery from Canaan. During the early Dynastic period (3100- 2575 BC), contacts with other cultures remained the same as in the end of the 4^th millennium period along with further extensions into Sudan. However, during this period there are evidences that suggest the Egyptians came in contact with the cultures and peoples of Aegean and Crete but there is little evidence. Skipping to the Late Period (before 343 BC), the Egyptians seemed to be having more extensions with the Egyptian empire. There are evidences of military action going on between the Egyptians and the Greeks.

There are many different reasons that Egypt decided to explore new cultures and peoples because of trading, military, and exporting/importing. It is interesting to see how the Egyptians began building their empire by encountering different cultures.