Naqada III

For other uses, see Naqada (disambiguation).
Semainian culture / Naqada III
Oldest known representations of ancient Egyptian rulers, from Tell el-Farkha. Naqada IIIB, c. 3200–3000 BC.[1][2][3]
Naqada III (Egypt)
Naqada III (Northeast Africa)
Geographical rangeEgypt
PeriodEarly Bronze I
Datesc. 3,300 BC – 2,900 BC[4]
Major sitesNaqada, Tarkhan, Nekhen
Preceded byNaqada II, Maadi culture
Followed byFirst Dynasty of Egypt

Naqada III is the last phase of the Naqada culture of ancient Egyptian prehistory, dating from approximately 3200 to 3000 BC[5] (Petrie Sequence Dates SD 63–76).[6] It is the period during which the process of state formation, which began in Naqada II, became highly visible, with named kings heading powerful polities. Naqada III is often referred to as Dynasty 0 or the Protodynastic Period[5] to reflect the presence of kings at the head of influential states, although, in fact, the kings involved would not have been a part of a dynasty. In this period, those kings' names were inscribed in the form of serekhs on a variety of surfaces including pottery and tombs. The period was characterized by constant conflict with the people of the Nile Delta, probably for the control of valuable trade routes with the Levant.[7]

The periodization of the Naqada Culture was originally developed by Flinders Petrie in the early 1900s.[8][9] The defined periods have evolved since then and Naqada III is now further subdivided into IIIA1, IIIA2, IIIB1, IIIB2, IIIC1, IIIC2, and IIID subperiods.[10]

History

The Protodynastic Period in ancient Egypt was characterised by an ongoing process of political unification, culminating in the formation of a single state to begin the Early Dynastic Period. Furthermore, it is during this time that the Egyptian language was first recorded in hieroglyphs. There is also strong archaeological evidence of Egyptian settlements in southern Canaan during the Protodynastic Period, which are regarded as colonies or trading entrepôts.

Archaeologists Pierre de Miroschedji and Moain Sadeq hypothesise that the Egyptian activity in the Levant of this period can be classified in three parts: an area of permanent settlement including Tell es-Sakan (which may have been the administrative centre) and En Besor; an area extending north along the coast of seasonal habitation, and beyond this to the east and further north was an area of interaction between the Egyptians and the Canaanites.[11]

State formation began during this era and perhaps even earlier. Various small city-states arose along the Nile. Centuries of conquest then reduced Upper Egypt to three major states: Thinis, Naqada, and Nekhen. Sandwiched between Thinis and Nekhen, Naqada was the first to fall. Thinis then conquered Lower Egypt. Nekhen's relationship with Thinis is uncertain, but these two states may have merged peacefully, with the Thinite royal family ruling all of Egypt. The Thinite kings were buried at Abydos in the Umm el-Qa'ab cemetery.

Early Egyptologists such as Flinders Petrie were proponents of the Dynastic race theory which hypothesised that the first Egyptian chieftains and rulers were themselves of Mesopotamian origin, but this view has been abandoned among modern scholars.[12][13][14]

Dynasty 0

Name of King Iry-Hor, Dynasty 0, Eastern Kom, Tell el-Farkha.[15]

The Egyptian rulers of the period belong to the so-called "Dynasty 0", and may have ruled over some parts of Upper Egypt. They include rather obscure rulers such as Crocodile, Iry-Hor, Ka, and perhaps by the king Scorpion II, whose name may refer to, or be derived from, the goddess Serket, a special early protector of other deities and the rulers.[16]. The period ended with the rise of Narmer, who became the first king of the First Dynasty and the first unifier of Egypt.

For Upper Egypt in the south, the following Dynasty 0 rulers have been listed: A, Finger Snail, Fish, Elephant, Stork, Bull, Scorpion I, Crocodile, Iry-Hor, Ka, Scorpion II, Narmer / Menes

For Lower Egypt in the north, the following Dynasty 0 rulers have been listed: Hedju Hor, Ny-Hor, Ni-Neith, Hat-Hor, Pu, Hsekiu, Khayu, Tiu, Thesh, Neheb, Wazner, Mekh, Double Falcon, Wash

Technological innovations

Naqada III extended all over Egypt and was characterized by some notable firsts:

And at best, a notable second:

According to the Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities, in February, 2020, Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered 83 tombs dating back to 3,000 B.C, known as the Naqada III period. Various small ceramic pots in different shapes and some sea shells, makeup tools, eyeliner pots, and jewels were also revealed in the burial.[19][20]

Decorative cosmetic palettes

Main article: Cosmetic palette

During Naqada III, the highly decorated ivory sculptures of Naqada II were replaced by decorated greywacke palettes.[21] Many notable decorative palettes are dated to Naqada III, such as the Hunters Palette.

  • Hunters Palette, circa 3100 BC
    Hunters Palette, circa 3100 BC
  • "Four Dogs Palette" (3300–3100 BC)
    "Four Dogs Palette" (3300–3100 BC)
  • Fragment of a ceremonial palette illustrating a man and a type of staff, ca. 3200–3100 BC
    Fragment of a ceremonial palette illustrating a man and a type of staff, ca. 3200–3100 BC
  • Duck-shaped palette
    Duck-shaped palette
  • Bull Palette, 3100 BC
    Bull Palette, 3100 BC
  • The Battlefield Palette, possibly showing the subjection of the people of the Buto-Maadi culture, by the Egyptian rulers of Naqada III, circa 3100 BC.[22]
    The Battlefield Palette, possibly showing the subjection of the people of the Buto-Maadi culture, by the Egyptian rulers of Naqada III, circa 3100 BC.[22]
  • Man in patterned and fringed dress, holding a naked prisoner, in the Battlefield Palette, circa 3100 BC.[23][24][22]
    Man in patterned and fringed dress, holding a naked prisoner, in the Battlefield Palette, circa 3100 BC.[23][24][22]
  • Fragment of a palette, 3200–2800 BC.
    Fragment of a palette, 3200–2800 BC.

Pottery vessels

  • Naqada III pottery
    Naqada III pottery
  • Naqada III vessel
    Naqada III vessel
  • Typical Naqada III cylindrical jar
    Typical Naqada III cylindrical jar

Other artifacts

  • Colossal statue of the God Min holding an erect penis in his hand. Koptos, Predynastic Period, about 3300 BCE. Ashmolean Museum.
    Colossal statue of the God Min holding an erect penis in his hand. Koptos, Predynastic Period, about 3300 BCE. Ashmolean Museum.
  • Hair Comb Decorated with Rows of Wild Animals 3200–3100 BCE, Naqada III
    Hair Comb Decorated with Rows of Wild Animals 3200–3100 BCE, Naqada III
  • Male statuettes with penile sheaths, Hierakonpolis. Late Predynastic, Naqada III (3300–3000 BC) – Early Dynastic, Dynasty I (3000–2890 BC).[25]
    Male statuettes with penile sheaths, Hierakonpolis. Late Predynastic, Naqada III (3300–3000 BC) – Early Dynastic, Dynasty I (3000–2890 BC).[25]
  • Female statuettes Hierakonpolis, Hierakonpolis. Late Predynastic, Naqada III (3300–3000 BC) – Early Dynastic, Dynasty I (3000–2890 BC).
    Female statuettes Hierakonpolis, Hierakonpolis. Late Predynastic, Naqada III (3300–3000 BC) – Early Dynastic, Dynasty I (3000–2890 BC).

See also

References

  1. ^ "tell el-farkha". Egypt Museum.
  2. ^ Ciałowicz, Krzysztof M. (2012). "Votive figurines from Tell el-Farkha and their counterparts". Archéo-Nil. 22 (1): 88–90. doi:10.3406/arnil.2012.1044.
  3. ^ The Wisdom of Thoth: Magical Texts in Ancient Mediterranean Civilisations. Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. 2016. p. 27. ISBN 978-1784912475. Golden figures depicting most probably a Pre-dynastic ruler and his son and heir, which are the oldest known in Egypt.
  4. ^ Hendrickx, Stan (1996). Spencer, A.J. (ed.). "The relative chronology of the Naqada culture: Problems and possibilities". Aspects of Early Egypt. London: British Museum Press: 64.
  5. ^ a b Shaw 2000, p. 479.
  6. ^ "Naqada chronology". www.ucl.ac.uk. University College, London.
  7. ^ Josephson, Jack (29 November 2015). "Naqada IId, Birth of an Empire". Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt (51): 165. doi:10.5913/JARCE.51.2015.A007. Most of Dynasty 0 was spent at war with the Delta people, presumably to control and protect trade routes from the Levant, the source of invaluable wood, wine, and other commodities.
  8. ^ Petrie, W.M.F., "Diospolis Parva, The cemeteries of Abadiyeh and Hu. 1898-1899", EEF 20, London, 1901
  9. ^ Petrie, W.M.F., "Corpus of Prehistoric pottery and palettes", BSAE&ERA 32, London, 1921
  10. ^ [1]Hendrickx, Stan, "Naqada IIIA-B, a crucial phase in the relative chronology of the Naqada culture", Archéo-Nil 21.1, pp. 65-80, 2011
  11. ^ de Miroschedji, Pierre; Sadeq, Moain (2005), "The frontier of Egypt in the Early Bronze Age: preliminary soundings at Tell es-Sakan (Gaza Strip)", in Clarke, Joanne (ed.), Archaeological Perspectives on the Transmission and Transformation of Culture in the Eastern Mediterranean, Council for British Research in the Levant, pp. 155–169, JSTOR j.ctv310vqks.24
  12. ^ Derry, D.E. (1956). "The Dynastic Race in Egypt". Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 42: 80–85. doi:10.1177/030751335604200111. S2CID 194596267.
  13. ^ Wilkinson, Toby (1999). Early dynastic Egypt. London: Routledge. p. 15. ISBN 0415186331.
  14. ^ Zakrzewski, Sonia R. (2007). Population continuity or population change: Formation of the ancient Egyptian state. Highfield, Southampton: Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton.
  15. ^ Cialowicz, Krzysztof M. (2011). "6. The Early-Dynastic/Pre-Dynastic period at Tell al-Fakrah". Before the pyramids: the origins of Egyptian civilization; [publ. in conjunction with the Exhibition Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization, March 28 - December 31, 2011] (PDF). Chicago, Ill: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. pp. 63–64. ISBN 978-1-885923-82-0.
  16. ^ Shaw 2000, p. 71.
  17. ^ Meza, A.I. (2007) “Neolithic Boats: Ancient Egypt and the Maltese Islands. A Minoan Connection” J-C. Goyon,C. Cardin (Eds.) Actes Du Neuvième Congrès International Des Égyptologues, p. 1287.
  18. ^ Robinson, D. (2012). "Review of: Anderson, A., et al. (2010), The Global Origins and Development of Seafaring". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 41 (1): 206–208. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2011.00333_2.x. S2CID 162515460.
  19. ^ Geggel, Laura (21 February 2020). "Dozens of ancient Egyptian graves found with rare clay coffins". livescience.com. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  20. ^ "الكشف عن 83 مقبرة أثرية بمنطقة آثار كوم الخلجان بمحافظة الدقهلية". اليوم السابع. 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  21. ^ Josephson, Jack (29 November 2015). "Naqada IId, Birth of an Empire". Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt (51): 169. doi:10.5913/JARCE.51.2015.A007. By Naqada IIIa (Dynasty 0) the manufacture of superbly carved small ivories was supplanted by the introduction of elaborately decorated greywacke palettes.
  22. ^ a b Brovarski, Edward. REFLECTIONS ON THE BATTLEFIELD AND LIBYAN BOOTY PALETTES. p. 89.
  23. ^ "A little higher, a figure dressed in a long, embroidered robe leads a prisoner." in Bazin, Germain (1976). The History of World Sculpture. Chartwell Books. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-89009-089-3.
  24. ^ Kelder, Jorrit (2017). Narmer, scorpion and the representation of the early Egyptian court: Published in Origini n. XXXV/2013. Rivista annuale del Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Antichità – "Sapienza" Università di Roma Preistoria e protostoria delle civiltà antiche – Prehistory and protohistory of ancient civilizations. Gangemi Editore. p. 152. ISBN 978-88-492-4791-6.
  25. ^ Tamás, Bács (2017). Bevezetés az ókori Egyiptom művészetébe (PDF). Budapest: Gondolat Kiadó. p. 16, Fig.6. ISBN 978 963 693 791 1.

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