The old rock inscription in the lower Nile Valley may provide a rare overview of the origin of Egyptian kings. The technical committee depicts an elite group with advantages similar to those of the first Egyptian rulers, since the beginning of political unification throughout Egypt.
About 6000 years ago, Egypt underwent a dramatic political transformation, which ultimately led to the formation of the Egyptian state under the first Pharaoh, Narmer, around 3100 BC. Researchers still know relatively little about this central period in history.
In a study published in the magazine Ancient timesArchaeologists analyzed a rock inscription near Aswan, Egypt, and found evidence that it may have been used to communicate the strength of the individual during the beginning of the first family in Egypt.
“The formation of the state in ancient Egypt and the operations that led to this, it is still difficult to imagine it,” said Dorian Vanhaoul, the Egyptian scientist in Musa de Malgeri and the research author in a statement. “The rock art in the lower Nile Valley has the possibility of helping to identify and analyze the first forms of political power in this region and how the scene was exploited to express power and monotheism. However, the number of related examples is limited.”
To date, the researchers have compared the inscription with similar pictures in contemporary and craftsmanship. Their analysis indicates that the engraving was made in the early fourth millennium BC, during the transition from the protectedness to the early family period.
The engraving depicts five characters drawing a decorative boat, one of the most common shapes in Egyptian icons. The boat is pushed with a permanent personality with the mail and appears to be transmitting a seated personality. This number is closely seated from the depiction of powerful individuals on the prestigious things in the ancient centers of power during the formation of the Egyptian state. It is worth noting that the shape is characterized by an elongated jaw indicating the presence of a wrong beard, which is a symbol related to kings during the first family.
“During the previous and protein periods (c.
The researchers wrote that the high quality of engraving indicates that it is likely to be commissioned by a strong personality. They also emphasized that the rock panel is to add a value to a limited set of inscriptions that help shed light on events that unify Egypt. The researchers noted that rock inscriptions were a major means that political figures expressed their strength, and they provide an insight into how local communities see elite individuals during the formation of the Egyptian state.
The researchers stress that more artworks must be recorded and analyzed – and that this work is urgent, because many of these images are at risk of disappearance.
“The scene of the valley and its desert margins are currently changing in an irreplaceable way through, among other threats, mining and quarry activities.” “It is not possible to reduce the importance of conducting rescue missions, such as those that led to the discovery of this painting.”
https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/07/Figure-8_-A-Protodynastic-boat-engraved-at-Wadi-Abu-Subeira-photograph-by-author1-1200×675.jpg
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