Abedjou
Featured Site:

Situated 80 km south of Luxor in Upper Egypt, ancient Nekhen ('City of the Hawk' - Greek Hierakonpolis and modern Kom e-Ahmar), is one of the largest Predynastic sites in ancient Egypt encountered sofar. It flourished around 3500 bc and must have been a city already at that period. Among the remains are houses, temples, administrative buildings and artisans´ areas.

Nekhen displays some finds of great importance for the understanding of early Egypt; the Narmer palette and macehead was found here along with the so called 'Scorpion' macehead. The site was first excavated by James Quibell and F.W. Green in a less than adequate way and doucmentation is poor. The most finds were made at the so called 'Main Deposit', a stratum located between two walls near an Old Kingdom temple but exact location is unknown due to lack of accurate plans. The finds were mostly Predynastic ceremonial objects, among them the Narmer palette and the 'Scorpion' macehead.

Another significant find which has been lost to present day researchers is Tomb 100 from the Predynastic cemetery. This was the first Egyptian tomb to be decorated with wallpaintings but the location of it now unknown.

Later excavations in the 1970´s and 1980´s revealed Predynastic sites in the desert outside of the town and the sofar only known Predynastic shrine.

Nekhen is by its name associated with the falcon deity Horus. There might have been an earlier falcon deity, Nekheny, which became assimilated by Horus already in the early dynastic period. Of this we are not sure but the earliest signs of Horus (Her or Har in Egyptian) come from hieroglyphs and serekhs from the Predynastic period. From Nekhen comes also the well known golden Horus head crowned with two plumes which comes from a statue in the Old Kingdom temple.

The Souls of Nekhen and Pe (Buto in Lower Egypt)symbolized the early rulers from these two areas. They were venerated as ancestor spirits holding great power and were considered helping the deceased kings as well as the living one. Pe is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts mourning Osiris and urging the vengeance upon Set. Both Pe and Nekhen are regardes ast stars together forming a ladder upon which the newly deceasd king might climb up to the skies.

The souls of Nekhen are depicted as jackal headed deities and the souls of Pe as falcon deities. They are seen kneeling with their arms raised in the henu position at rituals and celebrations.

Originating in the early periods, these ba souls lasted throughout Egyptian history. They carry the sacred bark in procession on an interior wall of the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak and in the tomb of Ramesses I they are flanking the king. At Buhen in the 18-dynasty temple, an inscription says: "May they give all life and power....[and] all stability which they have...". In the Edfu temple they are seen carrying Horus himself. If the concept of them assimilating all the souls of all the rulers also lasted is an interesting but uncertain thought.

Hierakonpolis Online - worth a visit.