HIST 2A Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Scorpion Macehead, Narmer Palette, Nekhen
Document Summary
Over first millennium settlements in egypt shifted much closer to nile river. Gentle downward stream (no heavy current) & reliable breeze (sailing = possible) Desert (east, west, sinai), delta (north), cataracts (south: series of rapids/waterfalls) Intermediate periods (periods with decentralization of government) & Kingship at the start of the early dynastic period (3100-2686) Few large cities (vs. mesopotamia): lots of farming kingdoms. Nekhen and kingship (first large-scale temple) temple to horus. The horus kings make political-religious connection to strengthen power and acquire validity. Lower egypt (memphis = capital) vs. upper egypt (thebes = capital) Regions consolidated into these two kingdoms ; two rulers w/ great power. Political unification in early dynastic egypt: the narmer palette (3100 bce) Upper egypt side has crown of upper egypt, same with lower egypt (bull represents king himself) Egyptian writing (developed early written script) (3200 bce) Mesopotamian borrowing? (bc appeared only a century after written script from.
