The first settlements, De första bosättningarna

The first settlements occurred around 5000 BC. Traces of such early settlements can be found at the desert edge in Faiyum and the Merimde Beni-Salama settlement.

Faiyum (about 5000 - 4300 BC)
The first people settling in the Faiyum oasis are likely to have come from the west. They were seasonal nomads who lived on cultivating cereal crops. They also kept cattle, goats, sheep and pigs. Their tools were made of stone and their ceramic vessels coarse. Some of these vessels feature simple markings that may have shown who its owner was or the origin of its content.

Merimde Beni-Salama (about 5000 - 3800 BC)
This settlement was located along a tributary in the Nile Delta. The location was inhabited three times by different groups of people, all of whom lived on farming, hunting and fishing. Only the last group settled permanently. The first stone tools were simple but more sophisticated tools and jewellery of bone and stone evolved over time.

Omkring 5000 f Kr uppkom de första bosättningarna. I ökenkanten i Fayum och Merimde Beni Salama finns spår efter sådana tidiga byar.

Fayum (ca 5000-4300 f Kr)
De första människorna som slog sig ned i Fayum-oasen kom troligen västerifrån. De flyttade säsongsvis mellan olika platser, där de odlade spannmål. De höll boskap, getter, får och grisar. Redskapen var av sten och keramiken grov. På vissa kärl finns enkla markeringar som kan ha angett kärlets ägare eller innehållets ursprung.

Merimde Beni Salama (ca 5000-3800 f Kr)
Denna bosättning låg vid en flodarm i Nildeltat. Platsen beboddes i tre omgångar av olika grupper. Alla ägnade sig åt jordbruk vid sidan av jakt och fiske. Endast den sista gruppen bodde permanent på platsen. De första stenredskapen var enkla, men med tiden utvecklades allt finare verktyg och smycken i ben och sten.