Is Egyptian or Chinese older?

Is Egyptian or Chinese older?

Is Egyptian or Chinese older? When it comes to those travelers and historians thinking about the oldest civilizations in the world, Ancient Egypt and Ancient China come to their immediate minds. Both cultures left monumental legacies of architecture, written records, art, religion, and several worthy ways of forging human history. But which one came first? Is Egyptian or Chinese older?

The Origins of Ancient Egypt

Is Egyptian or Chinese older? According to most historians, first king Narmer (most commonly equated with Menes) unified Upper and Lower Egypt somewhere around 3100 BCE; hence, in consequence of this act, the Egyptian civilization was placed to be founded. There were several rich farming communities along the Nile before Narmer entered the scene, which is why 3100 BCE is well accepted as the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period.

Chronology of major milestones of early Egypt:

• Pre-Dynastic epochs (Naqada, Badarian) ca. 5000 BCE or before
• The First Dynasty of Egypt ca. 3100 BCE
• Emergence of hieroglyphic script ca. 3200 BCE
• Construction of early mastabas and then Pyramids (Old Kingdom from ca. 2600 BCE)

It could somehow be said that through the passage of time, Egypt surely had to be one of the very first chains of complex cultures anywhere in the world.

The Origins of Ancient China

Is Egyptian or Chinese older? Ancient China, with a very long prehistory, found its first recognized (ancient) dynasty later than ancient Egypt. Archaeologists in general put the time of the rise of the Xia Dynasty between 2100 and 1600 BCE, thus straddling the territory between semi-mythological and histories with some grounds to claim existence. The Shang Dynasty, through oracle bones and bronze inscriptions, had thus become the first historically verified dynasty around 1600 BCE.

Some of the important markers of early China included:

Neolithic cultures of Yangshao and Longshan dating between 5000-3000 BCE
Xia (traditional date c. 2070-1600 BCE)
Shang (c. 1600-1046 BCE), the first confirmed dynasty
Zhou (1046-256 BCE) with schools of Confucianism and Daoism

Chinese civilization, with its Neolithic roots, is actually as old as that of Egypt. However, it would be at least a thousand years before the Chinese could come to form accompanied dynastic states like those of early pharaohs in Egypt.

Expert Consensus

Is Egyptian or Chinese older? Most historians, archaeologists, and Egyptologists concur:

Egypt’s first unified kingdom stands a few centuries older than China’s first historically attested dynasty.

However, the Neolithic cultures of China are roughly contemporary with the very first agricultural settlements in Egypt.

Hence, the Ancient Egypt as a state is older, but Ancient China also grew independently and later became the longest continuous civilization.

Traveler’s Tip

Anyone who is planning to visit Egypt or China would like to “go back in time.” The early monuments of human civilization fascinate people; Egypt has the oldest standing temples, pyramids, and tombs–older than any structure in China. On the other hand, China boasts extensive dynastic continuities ranging from the Great Wall to imperial palaces spanning millennia.

For the ultimate experience:

• In Egypt, go for the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara (c. 2667 BCE), Karnak Temple, and the Valley of the Kings.
• In China, Anyang Shang remains, Xi’an Terracotta Army, and early Neolithic sites like Banpo Village near Xi’an.

By visiting the two lands, travelers will be able to trace the parallel footsteps of two great civilizations.

Conclusion of Is Egyptian or Chinese older?

Is Egyptian or Chinese older?

A unified state, Ancient Egypt dates circa 3100 BCE, centuries before the first dynasty established in China.

To keep the culture continuously alive, both have strong Neolithic roots, but the Chinese dynastic tradition holds longer.

Both civilizations are wonderful monuments to human achievement and are places that any aficionado of history, archaeology, and culture must visit.