BIBLICAL CHRONOLOGY
Generation 05: Hebrew years 480 to 600 (3280-3160 BCE)
Introduction
After the establishment of self-made god-rulers in city-states, the next step was to combine several cities into single dominions, ruled by a supreme leader. Here came the first dynasties.
First dynasties
In this period, the Sumerian cities continued to be built across Mesopotamia, and their rulers would eventually be at war with one another for regional domination. Idolatry was spreading fast, as an invention to subjugate people to the power of these rulers.
In Ancient Egypt, civilization also started to form and the Early Dynastic Period dates around 3200-3100 BC. The first Pharaoh to have unified Lower and Upper Egypt under a single rule is attested to be Pharaoh Narmer, founder of the First Dynasty. His name has been found in many clay artifacts in Egypt but also in Southern Canaan, such as in the city of Tel Arad which had established trade routes between Egypt and the rest of the ancient world within the Fertile Crescent. In fact, it is assumed that Narmer had subjugated the Canaanite city of Tel Arad, without destroying it, to better control trade routes into/from Egypt. Indeed, the so-called Narmer palette has a reverse side that shows, on the bottom right, a rounded walled city with watch towers, and it being conquered by a bull (symbol for Narmer).
The Canaanite city of Tel Arad was designed with such walls and watch towers as we can see from an aerial photo of the excavations site.
The ancient city of Arad, with its round walls and watch towers, is depicted in Narmer Palette.
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Albert Benhamou
Private Tour Guide in Israel
Adar 5785 - March 2025