Egypt's Early Dynastic Period (3150-2613 BCE) lay the foundation of what would become one of the most impressive civilizations of the ancient world. The kings of this era, except for Narmer and Djoser, are often overlooked but were responsible for some of the most defining aspects of Egyptian culture. This is not to say that the Early Dynastic Period has been completely neglected; only that it does not receive the kind of attention given to later eras in Egyptian history. One major reason for this is the problem of source material. The Early Dynastic Period is prehistoric - any written records pertaining to it come from centuries later - and so it is difficult, especially during the Second Dynasty (c. 2890-2670 BCE), to determine who ruled when and what exactly their contributions were. Written records such as Manetho's chronology, the Turin King List, the Palermo Stone, and others were created much later and also, as egyptologist James Henry Breasted writes:
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/860/the-five-great-kings-of-egypts-early-dynastic-peri/.
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