In The Archaeology of Early Egypt, David Wengrow provides a new interpretation of the emergence of farming economies and the dynastic state c. 10,0002,650 BC. Comparison with neighbouring regions brings the dynamics of prehistoric social development along the Nile into focus, while detailed analysis of the archaeological record reveals the interplay between large-scale processes of economic and political change and the intimate material practices through which social identities were transformed. His conclusions extend beyond Egypt to consider the relationship between bureaucracy, sacrifice and the nature of state power.