Uncontacted contemporaries · 505 overlapping years

Old Kingdom Egypt Indus Valley Civilization

For 505 years — from 2,686 BCE to 2,181 BCE — both civilizations existed simultaneously. Neither this dataset nor the historical record shows any documented trade, war, or diplomatic contact between them.

3,300 BCE 1,300 BCE

Old Kingdom Egypt

2,686 BCE–2,181 BCE

Indus Valley Civilization

3,300 BCE–1,300 BCE

↑ Overlap begins, 2,686 BCE

Old Kingdom Egypt

Nile Valley, North Africa

The era of Egypt's great pyramid building, governed by pharaohs regarded as living gods.

Indus Valley Civilization

Indus River Basin, South Asia

A Bronze Age civilization of remarkably uniform, well-planned cities whose script remains undeciphered today.

Traits both developed independently

With no documented contact, any shared trait below represents independent development rather than transmission from one to the other.

Monumental architecture Bronze metallurgy Irrigation agriculture Long-distance trade Urban planning Seafaring

Old Kingdom Egypt only

Standing army
Astronomical record-keeping

Indus Valley Civilization only

No traits unique to Indus Valley Civilization in this comparison.