5,100-Year-Old Egyptian Rock Art Found on The Banks Of the Nile River Could Be From Egypt's Very First Dynasty

Ancient rock art from the initial years of the first dynasty has stunned experts. After analyzing the features of the discovery, researchers believe that a royal figure or member of an elite was the subject of the art, as reported by Live Science. However, experts are yet to determine the subject's exact identity. The rock art was uncovered in 2022 on the west bank of the Nile River near Aswan, while archaeologists were surveying the region. Further examinations revealed the art to be around 5,100 years old, putting it right at the beginning of Egypt's first dynasty. Findings regarding the rock art have been published in the journal Antiquity.

Features of the Engraving

The engraving appears to feature a boat with a figure seated on it. Although the boat seemed complete, the figure was not, as it exhibited only the individual's head and shoulders. The engraving is well-preserved, and ornate markings can be seen on the boat, and the study author also observed five men dragging it, according to Phys. The central figure is propelling the entire apparatus with an oar. The whole structure was conceptualized as a palanquin, a mode of transport used to transport high-ranking individuals from one place to another. Dr. Dorian Vanhulle, director and curator at the Musée du Malgré-Tout in Belgium, the author of the study, claims that boats were a popular motif in Egyptian iconography. During the Predynastic and Protodynastic periods (c. 4500–3085 BC), the boat was used by artisans as a figure reflecting several symbolic and ideological concepts. 

Analysis of the engraving

Vanhulle compared the panel art to other boat depictions made during pre-pharaonic times. The sickle-shaped boat resembled sails commonly featured in protodynastic and early dynastic periods, while the cabin was usually found in the arts of predynastic boats. He also observed 'horns' above the second cabin, which were a common occurrence in boats from the beginning of the first dynasty. The comparison suggested that the rock art was created in the transitional phase between the Protodynastic and Early Dynastic periods. It was when the foundation of the first Egyptian state was just being laid down.

The style and design depicted by the panels were also found to resemble imageries produced by authorities until the end of the Protodynastic period. The long chin carried by the central figure on the boat could be reflecting the false beards usually sported by Egyptian kings starting from the First Dynasty. There was also a vertical stroke, which could be a headdress of some sort, which can also be associated with rulers, per Vanhulle. The exceptional features of the rock art also suggested that it was commissioned by a vital political authority from the early First Dynasty. It could mean that elites or royals used rock art as a method to communicate their messages to civilians. 

Identity of the Subject and Other Implications

The late 4th millennium BC is a crucial period in Egyptian history. It was at this time that Egypt underwent political unification and welcomed the First Dynasty, ruled by Narmer. However, very little is known about how this unification came to be, as the events of the Predynastic and Protodynastic periods (c. 4500–3085 BC) are covered under heavy clouds. In such cases, finding art used as messages by elites from those times goes a long way in figuring out the nature of elites in those periods. "The rock art of the Lower Nile Valley has the potential to help identify and analyze the earliest forms of political power in this region and how the landscape was exploited to express and consolidate authority. However, the number of relevant examples is limited," Vanhulle explained. Such arts could also shed light on the pivotal events that led to the formation of the First Empire. 

Though evidence may imply that the main subject is Narmer, Vanhulle doesn't think so. He claims that the art carries no serekh, a hieroglyphic symbol depicting a palace facade that used to carry the king's name. This symbol was intimately associated with a First Dynasty king. Its absence from the engraving raises questions about the figure being a king. "The study acknowledges that 'it is not possible to determine the gender and status' of the figure, although its social importance as a potential member of the ruling class is recognized," Alejandro Jiménez Serrano, an Egyptologist at the University of Jaén in Spain, who was not involved in the study shared.