This video by Chirs Hasler on the Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages channel explains the origins of the people who lived in pre-dynastic Neolithic Egypt.

Following are points from the video:

— An agricultural lifestyle developed on the Nile River Valley at around 8,000 BC, being connected to the populations of the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East.

— Similar to Mesopotamia, Egypt is categorized as having two cultural regions, being Upper and Lower Egypt.  [Note: I think the naming of “Upper” and “Lower” Egypt is confusing since they are reversed where “south” is called “up,” so I will refer to them as “Northern” and “Southern” Egypt.]

— Evidence exists of conflict happening between the people of Northern and Southern Egypt at a site in Sudan called “Jebel Sahaba” which dates to about 11,000 years ago, which potently arose due to xenophobic attitudes when people from the south attempted to migrate north.

— Egypt exists at the crossroads of the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, with the Neolithic population of the northern region mostly being an extension of the Fertile Crescent, however Egypt and the Nile Valley also developed with their own characteristics independently of Mesopotamia.

— Not much archeological evidence exists of Egypt during the early Neolithic period, but during the 4,000’s BC, the distinct cultures of Northern and Southern Egypt can be identified.

— In Northern Egypt, people had agricultural lifestyles that were supplemented with hunting and fishing, people created pottery, and they lived in huts with exteriors made with rocks and reeds.

— In Southern Egypt, the society was potentially more stratified according to burials that have been discovered.  The “Nacarda Culture” of Southern Egypt is split into three cultural periods.

— At around 3,500 BC, an intense aridification happened in the Sahara and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere, known as “The 5.9 Kiloyear Event,” which caused people to abandon the Sahara Desert which was previously grasslands in favor of the Nile River Valley.

— The “Enration culture” of Southern Egypt arose before the aridification as early as 4,400 BC.  They were agricultural and they used copper to create objects.  Over a thousand burials have been discovered from this culture, and they were buried with rich grave goods indicating spiritual beliefs, and the graves also suggest that it was likely a class-based society.  They likely raised livestock, grew grains, and hunted as their predecessors did.

— The “Gerzeh Culture” supplanted the Enration Culture at around 3,500 BC.  They used tools and weapons and made figurines of both humans and animals.  Their graves suggest that a much stronger trade link existed between them and people from other parts of the Nile Valley, such as the Nubians in the modern-day country of Sudan.  The graves become more ornate as the dates before more recent.

— Hierakonpolis in Southern Egypt is referred to as “Nekhen,” which was possibly occupied long before the Gerzeh Culture, but in any event it is certainly significant to the Gerzeh culture.  Some experts think that between five and ten thousand people were living in that area before the dynastic era.  In one case, a burial has been discovered that included what appears to be twenty human sacrifices.  Also, remains of exotic animals have been found, including baboons, hippopotamus, elephants, and wild cats have been found, suggesting that someone was keeping a zoo.  The animals also had healed injuries which showed that they were apparently mistreated by their human handlers.

— A tomb from Hierakonpolis contains a mural showing images of boats, as well as an image of a man holding a large weapon over three people, which is reminiscent of more recent images of pharaohs smiting enemies in battle.  The mural also depicts a conflict between people with red skin and people with black skin, where the animals are also depicted as having either red or black skin.

— The “Samanan Culture” is also called the “Nacarda” culture.  It had emerged at around 3,200 BC.  It is the period when Egyptologists believe that Egypt’s first dynasty took place, and it is the period when it is definitely known that populations were irrigating crops using the Nile River.  It is named after the city of Nacarda, which was one of the most influential cities in the region.  The first Hieroglyphs were used during this period, which became Egypt’s first writings.

— Through the Hieroglyphs, we know about a lost city called “Thinis”  but its location isn’t known.

— At this time, the city-states of Egypt began to merge politically into three regions in Southern Egypt, leading to them becoming powerful and conquering Northern Egypt.

— A two foot high silt-stone pallet was found that depicts a ruler smiting an enemy, which is called “The Narmer Palette.”  There is a debate over if the ruler is Narmer or another ruler named Nemes, or perhaps they are both the same people.