Nekhen

25°5′50″N 32°46′46″E / 25.09722°N 32.77944°E / 25.09722; 32.77944

Nekhen
(Hierakonpolis)
View of Nekhen
Nekhen (Hierakonpolis) is located in Northeast Africa
Nekhen (Hierakonpolis)
Nekhen
(Hierakonpolis)
Shown within Northeast Africa
Nekhen (Hierakonpolis) is located in Egypt
Nekhen (Hierakonpolis)
Nekhen
(Hierakonpolis)
Nekhen
(Hierakonpolis) (Egypt)
Alternative nameHierakonpolis (Greek)
LocationAswan Governorate, Egypt
Coordinates25°5′50″N 32°46′46″E / 25.09722°N 32.77944°E / 25.09722; 32.77944
History
MaterialPossibly, oldest painted Ancient Egyptian tomb
Possible illustration of the conflict between Abydos and Nekhen (Hierakonpolis), on the Gebel el-Arak Knife, Louvre Museum, 3300–3200 BCE.[1]

Nekhen (/ˈnɛkən/, Ancient Egyptian: nḫn), also known as Hierakonpolis (/ˌhaɪərəˈkɒnpəlɪs/; Greek: Ἱεράκων πόλις, romanizedHierákōn pólis;[2] either: City of the Hawk,[3] or City of the Falcon, a reference to Horus;[4] Egyptian Arabic: الكوم الأحمر, romanized: el-Kōm el-Aḥmar, lit.'the Red Mound'[5]) was the religious and political capital of Upper Egypt at the end of prehistoric Egypt (c. 3200–3100 BC) and probably also during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3100–2686 BC).

The oldest known tomb with painted decoration, a mural on its plaster walls, is located in Nekhen and is thought to date to c. 3500–3200 BC. It shares distinctive imagery with artifacts from the Gerzeh culture.

  1. ^ Josephson, Jack. "Naqada IId, Birth of an Empire". Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. 51: 166–167.
  2. ^ Strabo xvii. p. 817
  3. ^ "about the site". www.hierakonpolis-online.org. The Friends of Nekhen, The Hierakonpolis Expedition, c/o Department of Antiquities Ashmolean Museum University of Oxford, Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2PH UK: University of Oxford. Retrieved 6 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ^ Boissoneault, Lorraine (November 12, 2015). "UNCHARTED Leopards, Hippos, and Cats, Oh My! The World's First Zoo". daily.jstor.org (JSTOR). Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  5. ^ Richardson 2003, p. 429.

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