Hierakonpolis

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Hierakonpolis in Upper Egypt, ancient Nekhen and city of the Hawk--is a vast archaeological site, first established during the Old Kingdom, but most prominent during the Middle Kingdom. It is one of the most important archaeological sites for understanding the foundations of ancient Egyptian society. Approximately 3,500 years ago, the Egyptian city of Hierakonpolis flourished between the present cities of Cairo and Aswan. Hierakonpolis is an archaeological discovery covering over 144 square miles of rich archaeological sites making it a very valuable find.

Hierakonpolis

Hierakonpolis soon became a large and important administrative and economic center. It is home to the god Horus. The city is adjacent to the village of Kom el Ahmar (Red Mound, after a great mound of debris more than 5,000 years old), about midway between Aswan and Luxor in Upper Egypt.

Well before the construction of the pyramids, Hierakonpolis was one of the largest urban centers along the Nile -- a vibrant, bustling city containing many of the features that would later come to typify Dynastic Egyptian civilization. After Green left Hierakonpolis, few people bothered with excavating the site which remained intact and untouched under a fog of disregard until 1967. Another major discovery at Hierakonpolis was the predynastic burial sites.

The archaeologists hoped that the ruins could yield clues to how states form, since Hierakonpolis was the original capital of one of the earliest large civilizations. In addition to its role in state formation, Hierakonpolis is important in that it raises intriguing questions about trade links and contacts with Nubia in the south, the Red Sea Coast area in the east, and societies in the Near East. By year 4000 BC there were settlements in Upper Egypt, at locations such as Hierakonpolis, Naqada, and Abydos. Many elements of the culture at Hierakonpolis, including the division into social classes, were typical of other settlements along the Nile. An image of Narmer appears on his Palette, a large ceremonial slate slab that dates to around 3100 BC and was found at Hierakonpolis.

The Fort of King Khasekhemui at Hierakonpolis (The Second Dynasty) The settlement remains of the 4th and early 3rd millennia that are located west of the ancient town of Nekhen itself, are of particular interest for this research project. The well-preserved settlements at Hierakonpolis are remarkable for Upper Egypt. Nine more cemetery areas, dating from Naqada I through Naqada II, have also been located elsewhere in the Hierakonpolis region, and Adams and Hoffman (1987: 196, 198) estimate there were several thousand Predynastic graves in the region. Hoffman (1983: 49) states that the Locality 6 tombs belonged to the Protodynastic rulers of Hierakonpolis, and speculates that the largest tomb there was that of King Scorpion.

Downriver from El Kab and Hierakonpolis, on the west bank 9km SW of Luxor, is the Predynastic site of Armant.