Early Dynastic (Egyptian)

Refers to the period in Egypt from about 2925 to 2650 BCE during the First and Second Dynasties; some sources also include the Third Dynasty ending about 2575 BCE. Works of art include pottery, wall paintings, sculpture and reliefs. During this period artistic conventions were formalized effecting the pose of the human figure, the arrangement of pictorial elements in register, and in sculpture, a rigid formal depiction of the figure that preserves the quality of the stone and the shape of the block. Architecture is distinguished by the development of tomb superstructures.