Nechen ( Egypt. Nḫn ; other Greek Ἱεράκων πόλις - Gierakonpolis “city of kites” [1] ; masri الكوم الأحمر, DMG el-Kōm el-Aḥmar “Red Kurgan” [2] ) - the religious and political center of Upper Egypt at the end of Prehistoric Egypt (c. 3200-3100 BC), and also, possibly, at the beginning of the Early Kingdom (c. 3100-2686 BC). Located on the west bank of the Nile north of Edfu , opposite the cult center of the goddess Nehbet - the city of El Qab .
| Nehen | ||||||
| Nehen | ||||||
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or
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 Excavations at Kom El Ahmar in 1910 | ||||||
| Other names | Hierakonpolis | |||||
| Modern location | el-com el-Ahmar | |||||
Here is found the oldest known tomb (c. 3500-3200 BC) of a Herzic culture with painted walls.
Content
Description
The religious and political center of Upper Egypt at the end of the pre-dynastic era and the time of the first dynasties. The capital of the III Upper Egyptian nome of the same name ( Nechen ), the cult center of the falcon god Gore Nechensky, who built one of the most ancient Egyptian temples here. The temple remained an important place of worship even after the city itself lost the significance of the center of the state. The first settlement dates from the time of Nekada I or the Late Badary period immediately preceding it. During its heyday, which took place about 3400 BC. e. the city totaled from 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants.
Archeology
Exploration of this place began already in 1798 by the Egyptian expedition of Napoleon Bonaparte . The first excavations were carried out at the end of the 19th century by English archaeologists James Quibell and F.W. Green. In the so-called main burial of the temple in Nechen, they found important pre-dynastic artifacts , including the ceremonial palette of Narmer and the top maces of King Scorpio . Among the ancient structures, it is worth highlighting the "fort", built by King Hasehemuy . It is a platform surrounded by a massive brick wall, and according to scientists it does not have any military functions, but is most likely associated with the holding of royal rituals. Similar structures were also found in Abydos .
The fort was erected on the site of pre-dynastic burials and their excavations, as well as the actions of the robbers, seriously damaged its walls, which could lead to their catastrophic collapse. During 2005-2006, restorers from the archaeological mission of Rene Friedmann carried out work to stabilize the existing structure of the fort and strengthen dangerous areas with new brickwork.
In 2009, in Nechen, archaeological excavations revealed evidence of an ancient zoo dating back to approximately 3,500 BC. e. Animals were represented here: hippos , elephants , congones , baboons and wild cats [3] .
Palette of Pharaoh Narmer . Cairo museum
Fragment of painting from the tomb No. 100 , Nehen . Cairo egyptian museum
A relief detail of the mace of Scorpio II with its image was found in Nechen / Hierakonpol (Ashmole Museum).
Notes
- ↑ Strabo . Book XVII / Per. with other Greek G. A. Stratanovsky . - Geography. - M .: Ladomir . - S. 817.
- ↑ Dan Richardson. Egypt - Rough Guides, 2003 .-- S. 429. - 888 p. - ISBN 9781843530503 .
- ↑ Top 10 Discoveries of 2009 - World's First Zoo - Hierakonpolis, Egypt Archeology Magazine Archive . www.archaeology.org. Date of appeal October 30, 2018.