It is not known when cats are first domesticated, but from the start of Egyptian civilization they are sacred animals in temples

To ensure continued comfort in the afterlife, rich Egyptians have models placed in their tombs of the necessary servants and utensils

Mentuhotep II wins control of all Egypt, establishing the period known as the Middle Kingdom

Bantu-speaking tribes begin to spread through Africa, from their original homelands south of the Sahara

Africa south of the equatorial forests is largely inhabited by the Khoisan, of whom the San and the Hottentots are the modern survivors

The centre of power in Egypt moves to the interior, with the capital at Thebes rather than Memphis

Wrestlers are painted on the walls of an Egyptian tomb, performing most of the holds and falls still in use today

The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, copied out by Ahmes, an Egyptian scribe, offers some of the world's first exam questions

The biblical account suggests that around this period the Hebrews are a captive tribe in Egypt

The Hyksos, arriving from the middle east, win control of Egypt and rule for a century

Egyptian tombs include paintings of a kind to help the occupants in the next world, whether in the Book of the Dead or on the walls

The New Kingdom begins in Egypt, bringing the most spectacular of all the dynasties

The god Osiris, in his tall white headdress, represents in Egyptian tombs the idea of resurrection in the next world

Thutmose I extends Egyptian control as far up the Nile as Abu Hamad

A copper trumpet is in use in Egypt, forerunner of the brass instruments of the orchestra

The Jews adopt a long-established Egyptian ritual - the circumcision of boys

The temples of Karnak and Luxor, in ancient Thebes, introduce the massive stone architecture of column and lintel

The gods Amen and Re are merged at Thebes as Amen-Re, the most important deity in the Egyptian pantheon

Hatshepsut takes power in Egypt, and is unusual in being a female pharaoh

Rich Egyptian households have the latest luxury items, small bottles of coloured glass to hold cosmetics

The clepsydra, or water clock, is developed in Egypt

The pharaoh Amenhotep III commissions the great temple to Amen-Re at Luxor

The Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep IV adopts a new deity, Aten, and changes his name to Akhenaten

The pharaoh Akhenaten creates a new capital city on the Nile at Tell el Amarna

The Amarna letters, an invaluable collection of cuneiform tablets, are written at the court of the pharaoh Akhenaten