How and when ancient Egypt was united into one kingdom is a matter of debate among archaeologists and historians. The inscriptions also document a queen named Neith-Hotep, who ruled as a regent for a young pharaoh named Djer sometime In the late predynastic period. These early rulers include Iry-Hor, who, according to the inscriptions, founded Memphis, a city that served as Egypt's capital for much of its history. The civilization's earliest written inscriptions date back about 5,200 years and reveal information about the early rulers of Egypt. Villages dependent on agriculture began to appear in Egypt about 7,000 years ago. Egypt may have been used to reach Asia in some of these migrations. The earliest migration of hominids out of Africa took place almost 2 million years ago, with modern humans dispersing out of Africa about 100,000 years ago.
When exactly early hominids first arrived in Egypt is unclear. Inside the Cave of the Swimmers in Egypt, archaeologists have found prehistoric cave art that some scholars interpret as people swimming.
