• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Archaeology News
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum
Archaeology News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Archaeology

Ancient Egyptian rock art reveals early kingship, divine claims, and violent power

by Dario Radley
August 28, 2025

Rock inscriptions recently studied in the desert east of Aswan are shedding new light on how Egypt’s earliest rulers exercised authority over 5,000 years ago. The inscriptions, carved into stone surfaces in the Wadi el Malik region and its side valleys, contain hieroglyphs, animal symbols, and scenes of violence. Collectively, they demonstrate how pre-dynastic kings used images to legitimize their rule during the rise of the world’s first territorial state.

Ancient Egyptian rock art reveals early kingship, divine claims, and violent power
The ruler tramples a man (lying). The two round circular areas behind this are not balls, but rather decapitated heads. Credit: Johann Thiele

Central to the research is an enigmatic figure known as King Scorpion. The title is inscribed on a rock at Wadi Abu Subeira with the inscription, “Domain of the Horus King Scorpion.” Egyptologist Prof. Dr. Ludwig Morenz of the University of Bonn interprets the inscription as “the world’s oldest known place name sign,” first reported a few years ago. Along with Egyptian scholar Mohamed Abdelhay Abu Bakr, Morenz has now presented a more far-reaching interpretation of the carvings in their book Culture and Power in Pre-Pharaonic Egypt.

“This was the period when the Egyptian state emerged,” Morenz said. He claimed that Egypt already had a nearly 800-kilometer north-south extent in the late fourth millennium BCE.

Ancient Egyptian rock art reveals early kingship, divine claims, and violent power
The ruler tramples a man (lying). The two round circular areas behind this are not balls, but rather decapitated heads. Credit: Johann Thiele

The Aswan Eastern Desert, however, remained on the periphery. Wadi el Malik was a transit route, rich in minerals, and a hunting ground in wetter times. It was here that rulers carved their marks on rock, turning the landscape into a “royal rock art tableau,” as Morenz terms it. The leaders—such as King Horus-Falcon, King Bull, and even an early king named Scolopendra, after a venomous centipede—are found in sequence, each linked to powerful animal imagery.

Ancient Egyptian rock art reveals early kingship, divine claims, and violent power
The inscription of King “Bull” is on the top, the one with the placename in front. Credit: Photo: Ludwig Morenz

“Most early ruler names refer to dangerous animals that embody authority,” Morenz said. That symbolism was used to emphasize the rulers’ role as earthly deputies of divine power, rather than as gods. For Scorpion, he was associated with Bat, a celestial cow goddess linked to fertility, and Min, a god of the desert associated with hunting. “They formed a divine couple, with Bat associated with the fertile land along the Nile and Min with the peripheral regions,” Morenz added.

RelatedStories

Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape

Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape

October 6, 2025
Queen Nefertiti – The Enigmatic Queen of Ancient Egypt. image credit: Philip Pikart / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0

Queen Nefertiti – The Enigmatic Queen of Ancient Egypt (Quiz)

October 5, 2025

Also of equal significance are depictions of violence. One particularly gruesome image shows a ruler trampling an enemy while two severed heads appear in the background. These images depict “pharaoh-fashioning”—the crafting of kingship through imagery that portrays victory and mastery, Morenz noted.

The reliefs also illustrate religious life. A large figure of a boat pulled by 25 men probably indicates sacred processions, representing connections between the Nile Valley and the desert frontier.

Ancient Egyptian rock art reveals early kingship, divine claims, and violent power
Ruler’s hippopotamus hunt, combined with the motif of defeating enemies. Credit: Johann Thiele/ Matthias Lang edited with GigaMesh

New digital imaging methods have allowed researchers to uncover details invisible to the naked eye, highlighting faint engravings eroded by the passage of time. Morenz believes the work is only just starting to uncover the site’s potential. “This is an important region when it comes to our understanding of the emergence of the state at the socio-cultural periphery in the late fourth millennium,” he said.

The Egyptologist has called for more archaeological missions and hopes to have the area one day opened to the public. “I consider this so important that this hot spot should also be made accessible to interested parties with tours and a visitor center,” said Morenz.

For the present, the carvings remain silent witnesses to the origins of Egyptian kingship, offering a glimpse into how rulers like Scorpion transformed the desert frontier into a canvas of divine power and political ambition.

More information: University of Bonn
Publication: Ludwig D. Morenz, Mohamed Abdelhay Abu Bakr: Kultur und Macht im vorpharaonischen Ägypten, Visualisierungen von Herrschaft in der sozio-kulturellen Peripherie des Wadi el Malik und des Wadi Na’am während des Vierten Jahrtausends (Culture and Power in Pre-Pharaonic Egypt, Visualizing Claims to Sovereignty in the Socio-Cultural Periphery of Wadi el Malik and Wadi Na’am during the Fourth Millennium), Katarakt, Assuaner Archäologische Arbeitspapiere 4, EB-Verlag, 244 pages, 39.80 euros. The book presents the findings in three languages: German, English, and Arabic.
Share46Tweet29Share8ShareSend

You May Also Like...

Donkey bones reveal Jamestown colonists brought donkeys to North America
Archaeology

Donkey bones reveal Jamestown colonists brought donkeys to North America

October 8, 2025
Easter Island’s moai statues really “walked”: physics and archaeology confirm the hypothesis
Archaeology

Easter Island’s moai statues really “walked”: physics and archaeology confirm the hypothesis

October 7, 2025
New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice
Archaeology

New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice

October 7, 2025
Homo habilis under threat: AI study reveals leopards hunted our ancient ancestors
Anthropology

Homo habilis under threat: AI study reveals leopards hunted our ancient ancestors

October 7, 2025
Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape
Archaeology

Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape

October 6, 2025
650-year-old sandal and other medieval artifacts found in centuries-old vulture nests in southern Spain
Archaeology

650-year-old sandal and other medieval artifacts found in centuries-old vulture nests in southern Spain

October 6, 2025

Comments 0

  1. Editorial Team says:
    1 second ago
    Disclaimer: This website is a science-focused magazine that welcomes both academic and non-academic audiences. Comments are written by users and may include personal opinions or unverified claims. They do not necessarily reflect the views of our editorial team or rely on scientific evidence.
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow us


Instagram
245K

Facebook
116K

Threads
44K

LinkedIn
13K

Twitter
6K

YouTube
1K
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Shipwreck Salvage. Credit: rawpixel.com / Public Domain

2,000-year-old shipwreck discovered off Turkish coast with remarkably preserved stacked ceramics

July 2, 2025
Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

May 18, 2025
Complete copy of the Canopus Decree unearthed in Egypt after 150 years

Complete copy of the Canopus Decree unearthed in Egypt after 150 years

September 13, 2025
Mystery of Armenia’s 6,000-year-old dragon stones solved

Mystery of Armenia’s 6,000-year-old dragon stones solved

September 23, 2025
Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

July 31, 2025
Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

3D analysis reveals Shroud of Turin image likely came from sculpture, not Jesus’ body

3D analysis reveals Shroud of Turin image likely came from sculpture, not Jesus’ body

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Donkey bones reveal Jamestown colonists brought donkeys to North America

Donkey bones reveal Jamestown colonists brought donkeys to North America

October 8, 2025
Easter Island’s moai statues really “walked”: physics and archaeology confirm the hypothesis

Easter Island’s moai statues really “walked”: physics and archaeology confirm the hypothesis

October 7, 2025
New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice

New study reveals Shackleton knew Endurance was structurally unfit for Antarctic ice

October 7, 2025
Homo habilis under threat: AI study reveals leopards hunted our ancient ancestors

Homo habilis under threat: AI study reveals leopards hunted our ancient ancestors

October 7, 2025
Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape

Karnak Temple’s origins revealed: geoarchaeological study shows how the Nile shaped Egypt’s sacred landscape

October 6, 2025

Archaeology News online magazine

Archaeology News is an international online magazine that covers all aspects of archaeology.











Categories

  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • Download
  • Game
  • News
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Paleontology
  • Quiz
  • Tours

Subscribe to our newsletter

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum

About  .  Contact  .  Donation

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved