Traces of human activity in the Nile Valley date back to ancient times. A relatively coherent picture of this society gave us the monuments dated 5 millennia B.C. They showing us the primitive-communal nature of society, based on primitive agriculture and animal husbandry, fishing and hunting have also played a big role. Soil, formed from alluvial sediments, provided with food, in spite of the primitiveness of tools to a large number of people. In some farming communities began to emerge, based on artificial irrigation, and used slave labor, even a few initially. The development of income inequality within the community led to a rudimentary form of state power as the apparatus of oppression, created for the benefit of the emerging class of slaveholders. Constant civil war over the lands, canals and slaves ended in the middle of 4 Millennium with formation of two large public entities - the north and south. Their union, achieved victory of the South over the North (about 3200 BC.) became the formation of a unified Egyptian state.

The oldest human dwellings in the Nile Valley were pits and caves, made of strained for skins arranged awnings and tents. Gradually were appeared reed huts coated with mud. With the formation of class society in these huts for thousands of years has continued to live the poorest people of slave-owning Egypt. Housing of Chiefs initially allocated only for its size, the sanctuary is also arranged in large huts, on a hut or fence consolidated fetish of revered spirit. Gradually, for the construction of homes began to use raw bricks. Before the house arranged fenced yard, and later on built the wall. The oldest type of home - a hole - was a model for the burial, which took the form of oval pits were lined with a mat. So it means that all the initial types of homes, temples and tombs date back to primeval housing and they were considered as just dwelling for people, spirits, dead. Common features in the planning and design of houses, palace, temple and tomb were subsequently remained in the architecture of slave-owning Egypt. With the invention of brick, tombs became square and faced of bricks. These tombs were able only to the most top of society - ordinary people still buried in the oval holes. The development of income inequality in the community caused the difference in the form of houses, reflected in the difference between the graves. Particular attention was drawn on the design of the grave of the community leader, because it was thought that the ╚eternal╩ existence of the spirit would ensure well-being for all the community. In Ierakonpole was found the tomb of such a leader, that the walls were already covered with murals. To ensure the posthumous existence, which were considered as a continuation of the earth life, natives placed in the tomb the vessels with food and drinks and items of utensils. These things are an important source for the study of life in the Nile Valley until a preclass society, as well as to explore the origins of Egyptian art. They showed the development of technology in the difficult struggle of prehistoric man with nature, changes in the community, the development of an understanding of human phenomena in surrounding world. Lack of knowledge about the true connection between phenomena gave fantastic explanation to the nature of the world. Prevailing in this period beliefs and practices has determined the nature of art products, that were found in ancient tombs.

The earliest of them are pottery, decorated with the simple white patterns on background of red clay. Later on forms of vessels became more diverse, varied the type of painting and technique. Executed in red oil on the yellowish surface of the vessel, these were very simplified, sometimes close to the geometric ornament drawings, reflected ancient agricultural and burial rites. For example, it is very often have been depicted a float on the Nile, decorated with branches, with people who were worshiping, and the central role played by female figures, due to the leadership role of women matriarchy. Similar representations reflect also violently schematic female statuettes of clay and bone, is clearly related to fertility cults. Also close to these paintings on the vessels the above-mentioned wall painting from the tomb of the leader in Ierakonpole, represented, apparently, afterlife roam of the soul, part of the painting was connected with hunting rites, while in some cases, figures of humans and animals are scattered in the plane of the wall without any compositional communication with each other. Echo of ancient hunting rituals were found expression in the slabs of gray-green slate in the form of fish, ostrich, hippopotamus, etc., and intended for friction paint used during the ceremonies.

Images of people both in primitive paintings and sculptures described only in the most general and conditional form; only features were transfered, especially significant for the content of this image. The desire for greater visibility has led primitive artists to an image of different parts of the same shape from different angles. For example, Ierakonpole`s animals painting were given side-face, but the horns every here side-face and there face forward - depending on how it would be more clearly depicted a form of horns: the antelope and mountain goat - side-face, but a bull or buffalo √ face forward (so that was how they continue to represent the horns of animals in the art of slave-owning Egypt) on the same painting people were found as face forward as in various combinations of side-face images of different parts of the body with the core figure has the soles of the feet.

In these images the artist painted items not from life, not as he saw them at some point of time to his certain point of view, but reproducing the most important attributes of each known to him an animal or an object, first of all depicting what was the main theme for that scene - their arms and hands for battle and hunting or legs for running or dancing. Showing of the correct proportions of the figures had no matter, the relationship of the acting people as well were very primitive, so the central role of priestesses or goddesses simply expressing with the size of its shape.

Gradually the monuments were began to indicate a change in artistic demands that emerge from the new stage of development of society, culture and worldview. Images were showed clearer, more often observed proportions, compositions became more organized. As the examples of a new Phase in the development of art were the relief images of the battles between the communities, which led to the formation of large associations in the southern and northern Egypt. A characteristic feature of these reliefs was to provide the role of the leader: he was depicted as a lion or bull, who devoured enemies.

In these monuments have already began to show a specific selection of images and techniques, which then were repeated in similar products and than became required. This contributed to the cult-official nature of such monuments, intended to perpetuate the won and at the same time to consolidate the victory of religious rites.

The gradual strengthening of such selection were made, along with the emergence and development of new subjects and new artistic means was the most important feature of the next stage of development of Egyptian art. In general process of formation of class society and a the process of establishment of united slave-state, the art faced other challenges of his role in the new social order, as well as the role of religion, belief that the selection of sites and objects of worship, a ritual and interpretation of myths has became ideological weapons of the top slave-State and its chief - Pharaoh. The arts also has passed this way, and from that time was aimed primarily to establish glorifying monuments to the kings and noblemen of slave despotism. This piece of architecture had its own purpose and were performed on certain rules. Exactly this kind of work was contributed to the canons as described above.

The first monument was a slate of Pharaoh Narmera (height 64 cm) showed the exist of new art forms, made in memory of the victory of southern Egypt on the north and union of the Nile Valley in one single state. There were five scenes from both side of stela, four of which tells about the victory of the king of the South over the northerners. The king in the crown of southern Egypt, killed Northerner king, below were shown the fleeing northerners, on the other side on the top was a celebration of the victory: the king in the crown of defeated North king went take to look at the decapitated corpses of the enemies, and at the bottom was the king in the form of a bull destroying enemy’s stronghold, and an average of that part showed the symbolic cult scene of ambiguous content.

The monument had new features. Each scene was a complete at whole and at the same time was a part of the overall design of the monument. The main features of the future rules for the plate to Narmera were already available, and it was clear the way they added. On one hand, it reflected the new conquests on the way to a higher skill of picturing the reality: the proportions of the figures is almost correct, showed muscles, social status of each person clearly described the difference of garments , hats and attributes.