| Scorpion I | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weha, Serk | ||||||
| Pharaoh | ||||||
| Reign | c. 3300 BC | |||||
| Predecessor | Taurus ? owner of tomb U-k ? | |||||
| Successor | Double Falcon ? owner of tomb U-i ?Crocodile? Later onIry-Hor | |||||
| ||||||
| Burial | Tomb U-j,Umm El Qa'ab,Abydos | |||||
| Dynasty | Dynasty 0 | |||||
Scorpion I (fl. c. 3300 BC[1][a]) was a ruler ofUpper Egypt duringNaqada III. He was one of the first rulers ofAncient Egypt, and a graffito of him depicts a battle with an unidentified predynastic ruler. His tomb is known for the evidence of early examples of wine consumption in Ancient Egypt.
Scorpion is believed to have lived inThinis and was presumably the first true king of Upper Egypt. To him belongs theU-j tomb found in the royal cemetery ofAbydos, whereThinite kings were buried.[2] That tomb was plundered in antiquity, but in it were found many small ivory plaques, each with a hole for tying it to something, and each marked with one or morehieroglyph-type scratched images which are thought to be names of towns, perhaps to tie the offerings andtributes to keep track of which came from which town. Two of those plaques seem to name the townsBaset andButo, showing that Scorpion's armies had penetrated theNile Delta. It may be that the conquests of Scorpion started the Egyptianhieroglyphic system by starting a need to keep records in writing.[3]
In 1995, a 5,000-year-oldgraffito was discovered in theTheban Desert Road Survey that also bears the symbols of Scorpion and depicts his victory over anotherprotodynastic ruler (possiblyNaqada's king). The defeated king or place named in the graffito was a marking also found inU-j, the name was "Bull's Head", this very likely refers toTaurus (Bull). It is believed that Scorpion I unified Upper Egypt following the defeat of Naqada's king, meaningNekhen's royal house had submitted itself into a union with King Scorpion I in Thinis.[3][4]
Scorpion's tomb is known in archaeological circles for its possible evidence of ancient wine consumption. In a search of the tomb, archaeologists discovered dozens of imported ceramic jars containing a yellow residue consistent with wine, dated to around 3150 BC. Chemical residues of herbs, tree resins, and other natural substances were found in the jars. Grape seeds, skins and dried pulp were also found in the tomb.[5][6]
| Preceded by Bull? | Pharaoh of Egypt | Succeeded by |
