This volume publishes the papers presented at the international colloquium on Early Egypt, held at the British Museum in July 1993, together with additional contributions on the same theme. The colloquium formed part of the celebrations for the opening of the new 'Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery of Early Egypt'. A substantial quantity of recent research is presented, based primarily on the interpretation of material from excavations. Some of this fieldwork is relatively recent and it allows new discoveries to be brought into discussion; in other cases the finds of early excavators have been re-evaluated to produce fresh conclusions. The evidence has been used in various ways to illustrate different aspects of the early culture of Egypt, including chronological division, funerary practices, the evolution of towns and cult centres, together with trade and administration. A range of modern methods has been applied to the treatment of the evidence, incorporating statistics and detailed techniques of chemical analysis, allowing new insight into this fascinating period of Egyptian culture.