In this special exhibition, the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection takes a closer look at the history of cultural creation in early Egypt. The display traces the long rise of emerging cultures from the dawn of history up to 2700 BCE, as illustrated in some 240 selected artefacts. Over the course of 500,000 years of history, a slow seismic shift took place in the culture of the Nile Valley. During this time the culture transitioned from being nomadic to sedentary, in a process that culminated around 3100 BCE in the formation of one of the first centralized states in the history of the world. The exhibition focuses on the artisanal and technological developments in early Egypt, such as the mastery of a wide range of different materials such as stone, bone, ivory, and clay, as well as metal. The exhibition also illustrates the emergence of a distinctive art style and a logoconsonantal script (a writing system based on a combination of pictographic signs and phonetic elements), which had a profound impact on the cultural development of the subsequent period of the Old Kingdom. Most of the objects presented in the exhibition are going on public display for the first time since undergoing scientific re-evaluation and recent conservation treatments. (Description taken from http://www.smb.museum/en/museums-and-institutions/aegyptisches-museum-und-papyrussammlung/exhibitions/exhibition-detail/aegyptens-aufbruch-in-die-geschichte.html )