The First and second Dynasties of Ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title of the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt. The capital at that time was Thinis.

Information about the Protodynastic Period depends upon a few monuments and other objects bearing royal names, the most important being the Narmer Palette. No detailed records of the first two dynasties have survived except for the terse lists preserved on the Palermo stone. Paradoxically, the hieroglyphs that the Egyptians used for writing was fully developed, and their shapes would be used with little change for a little more than three thousand years.

Large tombs for their Pharaohs or kings at Abydos, Neqada and Saqqara in addition to cemeteries at Helouan near Memphis, reveal structures built largely of wood and mud bricks. with some small use of stone for walls and floors. Stone was used in quantity for the manufacture of ornaments, vessels and occasionally statues.

See also: Pharaoh