The first evidence of a loom comes from this period in Egypt, but some simple method of holding the warp must be as old as weaving

A simple hand-held plough is in use in Egypt and Mesopotamia, at least 1000 years before a heavier version is pulled by oxen

Upper and Lower Egypt are unified into a single kingdom, inaugurating the first Egyptian dynasty

The Egyptians paint murals on the walls of tombs, designed to help the occupants in the next world

The Egyptian hieroglyphic script develops at much the same time as the Sumerian cuneiform

The invention of writing marks the transition, in academic terms, from prehistory to history

The pharaoh Narmer celebrates a victory with a sculpted relief showing his personal dominance over the enemy

An easily portable writing surface is developed, from the papyrus plant of the Nile

The lever is in use in both Mesopotamia and Egypt

The ass, until now roaming wild from northeast Africa to Mesopotamia, is domesticated in Egypt

The earliest known currency, consisting of gold bars, is in use in Egypt and Mespotamia

Numbers are written in Egyptian records using the decimal system, on the same principle as that used much later in Rome

The world's earliest known board game, senet, is played in Egypt

Sirius rises in this year on the first day of the first Egyptian month - a rare event which possibly launches the Egyptian calendar system

Imhotep creates the first pyramid - the 'step pyramid' at Saqqara - as a tomb for the pharaoh Djoser

Egypt enters the period known as the Old Kingdom, its first era of monumental architecture

The first and largest of the three great pyramids at Giza is built for the pharaoh Khufu, later known to the Greeks as Cheops

A boat of cedar planks, some 44 metres long, is buried at Giza

Trade lnks, probably by sea in Phoenician ships from Byblos, are established between Egypt and Phoenicia

The largest sculpture of the ancient world, a sphinx with the face of the pharaoh Khufu, is carved in situ at Giza

To preserve bodies in perpetuity, the Egyptian ruling class develops the elaborate and lengthy process of mummifying an eviscerated corpse

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

Trade is carried on from Crete round the Mediterranean as far west as Sicily and in the east down to Egypt