Nekhen (Hierakonpolis), Egypt, Africa
 
 
Year-3800latitude: 25° 5'
longitude: 32° 46'
Period
Initiator(s)
Planning organization
Nationality initiator(s)
Designer(s) / Architect(s)
Design organization
Inhabitants7,500
Target population
Town website
Town related links
Literature

type of New Town: > scale of autonomy
New-Town-in-Town
Satellite
New Town
Company Town
> client
Private Corporation
Public Corporation
> policy
Capital
Decentralization
Industrialization
Resettlement
Economic
 

Hierakonpolis site plan
source: Accessed : 19th February 2011



The wall painting found in one of Nekhen's tombs.
source: Accessed : 19th February 2011


Nekhen, the city of the jackal headed Souls (the embodiment of the memory of its early kings who were, later on, venerated), was located in Upper Egypt and remained a religious and political capital during the Predynastic period (3200-3100 BCE) and probably the Early Dynastic one (3100 - 2686 BCE). However, it was founded at about 3800 BCE and it seems that it flourished around 3500 BCE. Nekhen seemed to have been a city that emerged due to the development of agriculture. According to evidence, after its foundation, many people migrated there from the surrounding areas, exchanging nomadic life for settled one.

The mud-brick enclosure that had almost 7500 inhabitants stretched for over two miles along the floodplain close to Nile, and it consisted of multiple neighbourhoods. The houses belonged to potters, masons, weavers, many more craftsmen as well as officials. An interesting discovery was a large installation for wheat - based beer brewery, in which it is estimated that 300 gallons were produced each day. The most important one, though, was the painted tomb, which is, historically, the first Egyptian decorated one. The art on the painted walls consisted of figures and images which would appear in Egyptian culture for three thousand years.

Hierakonpolis, the center of the cult of the falcon deity (hieracon in Ancient Greek), housed also a large ceremonial center, where Egypt's earliest temple was found. The temple occupied almost one sixth of the entire town area, but it also provided space for workshops were raw materials from all over the country were transformed into luxury goods.

The importance of Nekhen lies in that it apparently was the city where nomadic life turned into settled one, where probably the first columned buildings were erected, where the first signs of what was later established as Egyptian art were found, the location of the oldest known zoo but also Egyptian tomb. However, it seems that still there is more to be found from the archaeological excavations of the site.

source: 1. Interactive Dig Hierakonpolis, Hierakonpolis 2007, Field Note 6, [online]. Accessed : 19 February 2011.
2. Ancient Egypt - Early Cities; Abydos, Thinis, Hierakonpolis, Buto, [online]. Accessed : 19 February 2011.
3. Wikipedia. Vocabulary entry : Nekhen
4. Egypt : Hierakonpolis, A Feature Tour Egypt Story, Tour Egypt, [online]. Accessed : 19 February 2011.

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