The first signs of organized trade between Egypt and Canaan are seen in the late fourth millennium BCE. This trade was initiated by the rising political powers in Egypt, which, during the final phase of the Pre-Dynastic Period, founded trading colonies at a number of sites in southwestern Canaan. An official Egyptian administrative infrastructure was established at these sites around 3150 BCE, coinciding with the unification of Egypt under one ruler, the event that marks the beginning of pharaonic history. This land-based trade network was designed to supply the newly established Egyptian elite with exotic products that were rare or unavailable in Egypt, primarily wine and oil and probably also wood and copper. The presence of an Egyptian administration in southwestern Canaan is indicated by imported Egyptian jars inscribed with the names of the earliest pharaohs, as well as Egyptian-style pottery and seal impressions.