Oldest Pharaoh Rock Art Rediscovered in Egypt

Traci Watson, National Geographic daily news, 29-11-2012

This ancient rock picture near Egypt’s Nile River was first spotted by an explorer more than a century ago—and then almost completely forgotten. Scientists who rediscovered it now think it’s the earliest known depiction of a pharaoh. The royal figure at the center of the panel wears the “White Crown,” the bowling pin-shaped headpiece that symbolized kingship of southern Egypt, and carries a long scepter. Two attendants bearing standards march ahead of him; behind him, an attendant waves a large fan to cool the royal head. A hound-like dog with pointed ears walks at the ruler’s feet. Surrounding the king are large ships, symbols of dominance, towed by bearded men pulling on ropes. The picture, which was engraved on a sheer cliff face in the desert northwest of the city of Aswan, was probably created between roughly 3200 and 3100 B.C., according to researchers who published their discovery in December’s issue of the journal Antiquity.

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