Hierakonpolis

Hierakonpolis

Ancient city, Upper Egypt. Located south of Thebes, it was the prehistoric residence of the kings of Upper Egypt. Now an archaeological site, it reveals the beginning of Egypt's historical period. It was at its height from 3400 BC to the Old Kingdom (c. 2575 BC). Thutmose III later completely rebuilt the Archaic temple. During the New Kingdom, el-Kab, across the river, became economically more important, but Hierakonpolis retained its place as a religious and historical centre.

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Hierakonpolis 

one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt (ruins on the left bank of the Nile at the village of Kawn al-Ahmar in the south of the Arab Republic of Egypt), center of the cult of the god Horus. In a burial site dating from the middle of the fourth millennium B.C., the most ancient Egyptian wall paintings were found, depicting boats, hunting scenes, and scenes of war. Hierakonpolis is the site of a temple of the First Dynasty (end of the fourth millennium B.C.) containing remarkable examples of ancient Egyptian art—a mace-head of King lb (the Scorpion), depicting the building of a canal, and the famous palette of King Narmer. Upper and Lower Egypt, united by King Narmer, are depicted on the palette, as well as pictograms and the earliest ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. In subsequent periods Hierakonpolis was the administrative center of one of the nomes of ancient Egypt.

REFERENCES

Childe, V. G. Drevneishii Vostok vsvete novykh raskopok. Moscow, 1956. (Translated from English.)
Quibell, J. E. Hierakonpolis. London, 1900.