Naqada II

Female figure with bird
traits. Naqada II period,
3500-3400 BCE.
Brooklyn Museum

The most important sites are Hierakonpolis, Naqada, el-Amra, Ma-hasna, Abydos,  Matmar, Gerza, and Minshat Abu Oman Most characteristic of this  phase is the expansion to the north—Naqada II, emerging from the  regions of Naqada I, gradually led to the cultural unification of all  Egypt. The expansion into the northern part of Middle Egypt began  in  Naqada IIC;  the  expansion  into  the  Delta  was  no  later  than  Naqada II Dl. It was primarily a territorial occupation, secondarily  securing  trade  routes  to  the  east.  The  basic  principles  of  the  equipment  of  Egyptian  graves  originated  in  this  period,  with  the  quantity and quality of grave goods reflecting the growing Naqada  cultures  social  stratification.  Separate  necropolises  appeared,  containing exclusively large and rich graves. Graves of the elite are  known from Abydos, Minshat Abu Omar, Diospolis Parva, and Hierakonpolis, testifying about social development and the creation  of centers of authority. Although buildings are not well known from  the  period,  the  models  of  houses  discovered  in  graves  depict  rectangular  brick  buildings,  with  wooden  beams  (lintels)  over  the  doors. New kinds of pottery were made of tempered silt. Decorated  pottery had scenes of birds and animals, triangles symbolizing the  desert, and plants. Others with the portrayal of boats with human  figures  may  point  to  the  existence  of  rituals  that  involve  the  leaders/chiefs  of  clans/tribes.  The  oldest  preserved  Egyptian  wall  painting,  at  Hierakonpolis,  may  therefore  be  confirmed,  since  it  shows  hunting,  triumph,  and  rites  associated  with  boats.  Such  scenes in a grave context suggest the beginnings of the custom of  "taking" symbolic and real events of life into the next world.

Conical mace heads were replaced by pear-shaped mace heads,  which, beginning in mid-Naqada II, become symbols of authority— one  of  the  attributes  of  power  in  Egypt's  royal  iconography.  The  production  of copper  increased  in  importance, as  did  that  of  gold  and  silver.  In  general,  metal  was  sought  after,  probably  a  sign  of  status.  Flint  was  still  the  most  important  material  for  tool  pro- duction,  but  techniques  had  advanced;  in  addition  to  traditional  tools made from flakes, a new technique appeared—production of  long  blades,  later  processed  by  bifacial  retouching  (ripple-flake).  The  number  of  personal  adornments  of  bone,  ivory,  and  semiprecious  stones  increased  markedly,  as  did  bracelets,  rings,  beads,  pendants,  and  amulets.  The  rich  material  culture  indicates  that  groups  of  highly  specialized  craftsmen  existed.  Centers  of  production, such as Hierakonpolis, plus a relatively small number  of workshops distributed products throughout the elite. There, the majority of craftsmen also lived. The cities soon  played  a  central  role  for  the  larger  surrounding  territory.  For  example, Naqada (Eg., Nubt, "city of gold") developed significantly  in this period, based on trade in gold and copper from mines in the  Eastern  Desert.  Changes  in  the  environment  and  in  society  also  transformed Hierakonpolis (Eg., Nekhen), regarded by the ancients  as the capital of the Upper Egyptian state, into a major political and  economic  center.  Naqada is  equidistant  (about  100  kilometers/64  miles in a straight line) from Hierakonpolis and Abydos, and other  important  population  centers  were  grouped  in  their  immediate  vi- cinity.  Strong  economic  centers  of  local  authority  arose  and  trade  was  conducted  in  every  direction.  Contacts  with  the  Levant  are  indicated by small quantities of Palestinian pottery in Upper Egypt,  as  well  as  by the  presence  of  Naqada II  products  in  the  Palestine  region. Contacts with Sumer and Elam are yet debatable. Although  raw materials (obsidian, lapis lazuli), products (cylinder seals), and  certain art motifs (a hero strangling a lion) of Mesopotamia or Elarn  appeared, their presence in Egypt may be the result of a series of  indirect  trade  contacts,  not  from  regular  exchange.  Sources  have  been  identified,  other  than  those  previously  supposed, for  at  least  some of the imported goods. For example, obsidian tools were re- garded  as proof of connections between the Nile Valley and  the Near East, but new analyses have shown beyond a doubt that that  obsidian was acquired in Ethiopia. Contacts to the south are better  confirmed:  found  in  Upper  Egypt  was  pottery  characteristic  of  Nubian Group A (made of silt, with a large number of admixtures,  and  decorated  with  ornaments  filled  with  white).  Many  Gerzean  period products were also found in Nubia.

Recent Pages:


·        Piya (744–714 BC)
·        Plutarch (c.46-120 CE)
·        Poultry in ancient Egypt
·        El Oman
·        Moerian
·        Tasa-Badari
·        Naqada I