Merimde Beni Salama is an archaeological site in Egypt. It is one of the earliest known agricultural settlements in Egypt. Pottery found at Merimde Beni Salama appears to be of Near Eastern origin and indicates that predynastic Egyptians traded with the Levant. Some Egyptologists and archaeologists disagree, however, and claim that the pottery is evidence that the inhabitants of Merimde Beni Salama emigrated from the Levant.

Many predynastic Egyptian societies developed around the cult worship of a particular deity. This communal worship helped promote a group mentality within these nascent cultures. The Naqada city-state was one of the most important societies that would eventually lead to a unified Upper Egyptian state. Most Egyptologists believe that the Naqada society developed around the cult worship of Seth.

According to archeologists, the earliest documented sample of papyrus paper dates all the way back to the First Dynasty, sometime during the Predynastic Period. As a writing medium, papyrus was infinitely preferable to stone, due to its strength, lightness, durability, and portability. Over time, Ancient Egyptian craftsmen fine-tuned their rigorous process of transforming the raw marsh weed into a suitable piece of writing paper. Papyrus’s inherent versatility allowed it to also be utilized in the formation of chairs, tables, boxes, ropes, and even boats. Astonishingly, several papyrus documents and scrolls have survived to this day – such as the famed Edwin Smith Medical Papyrus and the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus.

'Winnowed' is an agricultural term. It is part of the process by which grain is harvested. Ancient Egyptian farmers would first cut the grain ('threshing'). Then, the grain would be lifted into the air so that the chaff (unused part of the plant) could blow away in the wind. The leftover grain fell to the ground. This process, of separating the wheat from the chaff, is called 'winnowing.'

Prior to the Neolithic Revolution in Egypt, nutrition was obtained in one of three ways — hunting, gathering, and fishing. After the advent of agriculture, both fishing and gathering continued to be both profitable and common, however, hunting (as a means of providing sustenance) largely died out. Archaeological evidence suggests that hunting still retained a ritualistic purpose throughout much of ancient Egyptian history.

Ancient Egyptian civilization arose on the African continent. The earliest Egyptian people had to contend with all manner of threats that emerged from the natural world. One such threat that plagued Egyptians in ancient times was the impact of hippopotami on crops. The animals constantly destroyed the crops of Egyptian farmers by trampling on them or by digging them up. As a result, they were extensively hunted. Even after hippopotami were no longer a threat to Egyptian agricultural communities they were still often hunted as part of a ritualistic ceremony.  

The cataracts are a series of shallow, white water rapids found in stretches of the Nile River. During antiquity, the cataracts acted as a natural barrier that prevented trade from flourishing down the full extent of the Nile River into the heart of Africa.

Iry-Hor was the first king of Egypt known by name, and likely ruled during the early 32nd century BCE. His tomb is the oldest burial place in the Abydos necropolis, and there was once controversy over whether or not he was actually a king. However, excavations of the necropolis confirmed that his tomb was of royal proportions, and an inscription found near Sinai in 2012 showed his name in the format of a ruler, so the controversy has largely been laid to rest. 

Many rulers and cities in ancient Egypt are known to Egyptologists by both an Egyptian name and a Greek name. This is because many of the earliest histories of ancient Egypt were written by Greek sources and the names they gave to people and places have been passed on by later historians. Generally, it is conventional to refer to people and places by the name most commonly used to describe them, regardless of whether the name is Egyptian or Greek in origin. One city that is commonly called by both its Egyptian and Greek name is Nekhen, also known as Hierakonpolis. Nekhen is one of the earliest cities of Upper Egypt and was important in the formation of predynastic Egyptian culture.

Nekhen (also called by its Greek name Hierakonpolis) and Naqada were two proto city-states which arose in Upper Egypt during the predynastic period. At some point, these two societies came together, along with numerous other smaller states, to form a unified Upper Egyptian society. Most likely they were slowly unified by a series of powerful predynastic rulers.