Egyptian History

Egypt was considered ancient to the greeks and romans. They are credited with inventing some of the earliest examples of technology.  They are also one of the most document of the ancient cultures thanks to the preservation of scores of artifacts in the tombs of the pharoahs discovered in the 20th century and the discovery of the Rosetta Stone. 

3500 BC: Egyptians invent the sail

3000 BC: Egyptians begin to measure time through a calendar based on the three natural cycles (the solar day, the lunar month and the solar year) 

3100 BC: hieroglyphic writing in Egypt 
2920 BC: pharaoh Menes/Aha conquers the north and unites most of Egypt, and builds the capital at Hiku-Ptah (Memphis), the site of the cult of Ptah (1st dynasty) 
2900 BC: king Djer is buried at Abydos, the seat of the cult of Osiris, lord of the Underworld and husband of Isis, and his "mastaba" becomes considered the grave of Osiris 
2700 BC: Egyptians write on papyrus 
2660 BC: pharaoh Kasekhemwy completes the union of north and south Egypt, and builds the first fortress on the Nile, at Buhen  
2620 BC: Imhotep, high priest of Ptah at Memphis and founder of Medicine, erects a pyramid made of stone at Saqqara (overlooking Memphis) for pharaoh Djoser ("step pyramid") 
2575 BC: Sneferu founds the 4th dynasty ("old kingdom") and builds in Dahshur the first pyramid with straight sides ("red pyramid") 
2550 BC: architect Hemon builds the "great pyramid" at Giza (146m tall) for pharoah Khufu/Cheops 
2100 BC: Egyptian Book of the Dead 
2000 BC: the first obelisks are erected at Heliopolis (Cairo), the site of the cult of Ra/Atum 
1900 BC: ceremonies are held in Abydos to honor Osiris ("Osiris' mysteries") that recount the death and resurrection of the god 
1640 BC: An Asian population, the Hyksos, Semitic people from Palestine, seizes power in northern Egypt (the Delta), with capital in Avaris, and introduces the horse-driven chariot (15th and 16th dynasties) 
1640 BC: the Egyptians still rule on south Egypt, maintaining their capital at Thebes, and Inyotef V founds the 17th dynasty 
1550 BC: Ahmose I becomes pharaoh ("new kingdom", 18th dynasty) 
1532 BC: Ahmose I of Thebes defeats the Hyksos at Avaris and expels them from Egypt 
1530 BC: Work begins on the huge religious complex of Karnak to the god Amon at Luxor (Thebes) 
1504 BC: Amenhotep I dies and is succeeded by his brother-in-law Tuthmosis I, who campaigns all the way to Mesopotamia, makes Thebes the most imposing city of the kingdom and erects the Obelisk at the Karnak temple 
1492 BC: Tuthmosis I dies and is the first pharaoh buried in a tomb cut in the rock at the necropolis outside Thebes ("Valley of the Kings") 
1479 BC: Tuthmosis III becomes pharaoh and reorganizes the empire according to an efficient military bureaucracy 
1458 BC: Tuthmosis III defeats the Mitannis and conquers Syria, the peak of Egyptian power 
1450 BC: Egyptians use the sundial 
1391 BC: Amenhotep III becomes pharaoh and builds the palace complex at Malkata (near Thebes) and the temple of Amon at Luxor 
1353 BC: Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) becomes pharoah, married to Nefertiti, and builds the new capital at Amarna, north of Thebes, dedicated to the god Atum, banishing all other gods 
1333 BC: a child, Tutankhamon, becomes pharaoh 
1323 BC: Tutankhamon is killed at 19 and is buried in the "Valley of the Kings" at Thebes 
1300 BC: Egyptians build a canal connecting the Nile and the Red Sea 
1290 BC: Seti I dies, having built the largest tomb in the "Valley of the Kings" and the largest monument at Abydos, and his son Ramesses II succeeds him, married to Nefertari 
1275 BC: the Egyptian king Rameses II fights against the Hittite king Muwatalli at the city of Kadesh in Syria 
1069 BC: the high priests of Amon usurp the title of king and split Egypt in two, the north with capital in Tanis (on the Mediterranean Sea) ruled by the 21st dynasty and the south with capital in Thebes ruled by the priests of Amon 
926 BC: Palestine is invaded by pharoah Shoshenk 
720 BC: the Nubian king Piankh/ Piye of Kush (Sudan) conquers the various kingdomds of Egypt and founds the Nubian dynasty 
710 BC: Piankh's successor Shabaka moves the capital from Napata to Thebes 
699 BC: Nubian king Tirhakah/Taharqa (son of Piankh) ascends to the throne of Egypt and moves the capital to Memphis 
671 BC: the Assyrians defeat Tajarqa and capture the Egyptian capital of Memphis 
664 BC: Taharqa withdraws to Napata and builds the Nuri pyramid, the first pyramid in a thousand years 
610 BC: Neko II becomes king of Egypt and starts building a canal from the Red Sea to the Nile but never completes it 
605 BC: Nebuchadnezzar II leads the Babylonians to conquer Carchemish and defeat the Egyptian army 
525 BC: Cambyses of Persia conquers Egypt at the battle of Pelusium 
500 BC: The Persians complete Neko II's canal 
404 BC: Amyrtaios of Sais expels the Persians (28th, 29th and 30th dynasties) 
343 BC: the Persians conquer Egypt again (31st dynasty) 
332 BC: Alexander the Great conquers Egypt