BEFORE the Great Pyramids: The Pre-Dynastic Maadi Culture of GIZA, Egypt | Ancient Architects

Pre-Dynastic Egypt spans many millennia, a complicated timeline of events with many different cultures, who had many different practices, beliefs, styles of art, influences and ways of living. There are many gaps in the archaeological record too and like with any part of the world being researched, the further we go back in time, the more fragmented the story gets. We do know that Egypt was not a unified country until the dynastic era, when it looks as though a king from the south, Narmer or Menes, defeated the Maadi Culture of the north, and began a new era of history. With regards to Ancient Egypt, my primary interest has always been the Giza Plateau, the history of the pyramids and the Great Sphinx, and so, in terms of Pre-Dynastic history, I’m most interested in the Maadi Culture, the people who occupied this region immediately prior to the dynastic era. They were replaced by the Naqada III culture from Upper Egypt, but whether this was by conquest or infiltration, well, it’s open to