The Gerzeh culture, also called Naqada II, refers to the archaeological stage at Gerzeh (also Girza or Jirzah), a prehistoric Egyptian cemetery located along the west bank of the Nile. The necropolis is named after el-Girzeh, the nearby contemporary town in Egypt.
The Gerzeh culture is a material culture identified by archaeology. It is the second of three phases of the prehistoric Naqada cultures and so is also known as Naqada II. The Gerzeh culture was preceded by the Amratian culture ("Naqada I") and followed by the Naqada III ("protodynastic" or "Semainian culture").
Historical context
Sources differ on dating, some saying use of the culture distinguishes itself from the Amratian and begins circa 3500 BC lasting through circa 3200 BC.
Accordingly, some authorities place the onset of the Gerzeh coincident with the
Amratian culture or
, i.e. c.3800 BC to 3650 BC, even though some Badarian artifacts, in fact, may date earlier. Nevertheless, because the Naqada sites were first divided by the British Egyptologist
Flinders Petrie in 1894, into Amratian (after the cemetery near el-Amrah) and "Gerzean" (after the cemetery near Gerzeh) sub-periods, the original convention is used in this text.
The Gerzeh culture lasted through a period of time when the desertification of the Sahara had nearly reached its state seen during the late twentieth century.
The primary distinguishing feature between the earlier Amratian and the Gerzeh is the extra decorative effort exhibited in the pottery of the period. Artwork on Gerzeh ceramics features stylised animals and environment to a greater degree than the earlier Amratian artwork. Further, images of on the pottery artwork possibly indicate an inclination these early peoples may have felt to explore the Sahara desert.
Early Naqada II (3600-3350 BCE)
File:Early Naqada II.jpg|Early Naqada II statuettes.
Reed boats
Pictures of ceremonial reed boats appear on some Naqada II jars, showing two male and two female figures standing aboard, the boat being equipped with oars and two cabins.
File:Naqada II pottery.jpg|Naqada II pottery
File:Decorated Ware Jar Depicting Ungulates and Boats with Human Figures MET DP248750.jpg|Jar, Late Naqada II, 3500-3300 BC, Egypt
File:Jar, Late Naqada II, 3500-3300 BCE, Egypt.jpg|Jar, Late Naqada II, 3500-3300 BC, Egypt
File:Decorated Ware Jar Depicting Ungulates and Boats with Human Figures MET DP248751.jpg|Jar, Late Naqada II, 3500-3300 BC, Egypt
Later period, Naqada IId (ca. 3350–3150 BCE)
The period of Naqada IId (ca. 3350–3150 BCE) is thought to have been particularly in rich in rather revolutionary societal, artistic, and technological innovations, which culminated with the formation of Dynasty 0 (ca. 3150–3000 BCE) and the rise of the Egyptian Empire.
The Naqada IId period is characterized by major accomplishments in the work of ivory, with small works of extraordinary quality, ceremonial knife handles, and decorated pottery.
These accomplishments were accompanied by societal innovations, with the development of kingship, writing, and organized religion around clearly defined gods.
The period probably saw the development of city-states ruled by kings, such as Abydos Dynasty and Hierakonpolis, resulting in conflicts in which Abydos was the final victor, thereby unifying Upper Egypt, as seen in the scenes of the Gebel el-Arak Knife, which likely depict the conflict between Abydos and Hierakonpolis.
File:Gerzean statuettes.jpg|Gerzean statuettes, later Naqada II
File:Ägyptisches Museum Kairo 2019-11-09 Kuhpalette 01.jpg|The famous "Cosmetic palette", or "Bat palette" from Tomb 59 of Gerzeh, Naqada IId.
Contacts with Western and Central Asia
Distinctly foreign objects and art forms entered Egypt during this period, indicating contacts with several parts of Asia. Scientific analysis of ancient wine jars in Abydos has shown that there was some high-volume wine trade with the Levant during this period.
Objects such as the Gebel el-Arak knife handle, which has patently
relief carvings on it, have been found in Egypt,
[Shaw, Ian. & Nicholson, Paul, The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, (London: British Museum Press, 1995), p. 109.] and the silver which appears in this period can only have been obtained from
Asia Minor.
[Redford, Donald B. Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times. (Princeton: University Press, 1992), p. 16.]
Lapis lazuli trade, in the form of , from its only known prehistoric source – Badakhshan in northeastern Afghanistan – also reached ancient Gerzeh.
Cylinder seals
It is generally thought that
cylinder seals were introduced from Mesopotamia to Egypt during the
Naqada II period.
Cylinder seals, some coming from Mesopotamia and
Elam, and some made locally in Egypt following Mesopotamian designs in a stylized manner, have been discovered in the tombs of
Upper Egypt dating to Naqada II and III, particularly in
Hierakonpolis.
Mesopotamia cylinder seals have been found in the
Gerzean period context of Naqada II, in
Naqada and Hiw, attesting to the expansion of the Jemdet Nasr culture as far as Egypt at the end of the 4th millennium BC.
In Egypt, cylinder seals suddenly appear without local antecedents from around Naqada II c-d (3500–3300 BC).
Burials
Burial sites in Gerzeh have uncovered artifacts, such as
, a bone
harpoon, an
ivory pot, stone vessels, and several
meteorite iron
,
at Gerzeh also include fine ripple-flaked knives of exceptional workmanship. The
meteorite iron
, discovered in two Gerzean graves by
Egyptology Wainwright in 1911,
are the earliest artifacts of
iron known,
dating to around 3200 BC
(see also
Iron Age).
One burial uncovered evidence of decapitation.
Oldest known Egyptian painted tomb
Discoveries at
Nekhen include Tomb 100, the oldest known tomb with a
mural painted on its
plaster walls. The sepulchre is thought to date to the Gerzeh culture (c. 3500–3200 BC).
It is presumed that the mural shows religious scenes and images. It includes figures featured in Egyptian culture for three thousand years—a funerary procession of , presumably a goddess standing between two upright , a wheel of various horned quadrupeds, several examples of a staff that became associated with the deity of the earliest cattle culture and one being held up by a heavy-breasted goddess. Animals depicted include or , ibexes, , lionesses, , , and cattle.
Several of the images in the mural resemble images seen in the Gebel el-Arak Knife: a figure between two lions, warriors, or boats,
File:Hierakonpolis Tomb 100 Master of animals.jpg|
File:Hierakonpolis Tomb 100 Individual fighting scene.jpg|
File:Hierakonpolis Tomb 100 Hunting dog on a leash.jpg|
Proto-hieroglyphic symbols
Some symbols on Gerzeh pottery resemble traditional Egyptian hieroglyphs, which were contemporaneous with the proto-
cuneiform script of
Sumer. The figurine of a woman is a distinctive design considered characteristic of the culture.
The end of the Gerzeh culture is generally regarded as coinciding with the unification of Egypt, the Naqada III period.
Bearded figurines
Many figurines are known which have pointed beards, and some trace of hair.
Datation is disputed, but they are generally dated to Naqada II.
They may represent people dressed in long cloaks.
Bearded men also appear in many other pre-dynastic artifacts, such as the Gebel el-Arak Knife.
The headgear of the Mesopotamian-style "Lord of Animals" on the Gebel el-Arak knife may also be comparable to the torus-shaped headgear visible on many of the Naqada I figurines.
File:Hippopotamus Tusk with Carved Head Naqada I-II (detail).jpg|Hippopotamus tusk with carved head of a bearded man with torus-like headgear, Late Naqada I – Early Naqada II, 3800–3400 BC. Brooklyn Museum.
See also
Notes
Bibliography
-
Petrie/Wainwright/Mackay: The Labyrinth, Gerzeh and Mazghuneh, British School of Archaeology in Egypt XXI. London 1912
-
Alice Stevenson: Gerzeh, a cemetery shortly before History (Egyptian sites series),London 2006,
External links
