| A | |
|---|---|
 Theserekh of A | |
| Pharaoh | |
| Dynasty | Dynasty 00 |
A was the name of anEarly Dynasticpharaoh ofAncient Egypt. His name is known from a graffitoserekh carved into a sandstone outcropping 10 to 12 kilometers south-west of Umm el-Dabadib at theKharga Oasis in theWestern Desert. The presence of the serekh shows evidence of royal activity in the far reaches of the Western Desert as early as theprotodynastic period.[1]
During the 2004 season of the NorthKharga Oasis Survey (NKOS), a serekh was discovered on the north-eastern face of a sandstone massif under the direction of Dr.Salima Ikram. It was isolated near the Darb Ain Amur, the ancient caravan route that connected the Kharga Oasis via the site of Umm el-Dabadib and Ain Amum to theDakhla Oasis. The serekh was located among other groups of graffiti with different styles and depths of cut, implying that they were from different time periods.[2]
The serekh is surmounted by a falcon, as is conventional for serekhs, and contains a single sign. The sign is an arm, orA (D36 inGardiner's sign list). This name does not correspond to any other known Early Dynastic ruler. One of the legs of the falcon reaches into the serekh, and the crouching position of the falcon is typical of serekhs from theDynasty 0 or theFirst Dynasty. Thus, it would seem that the serekh contains theHorus name 'A' of a previously unattested king belonging to Dynasty 0 or the First Dynasty. Surrounding the serekh on the sandstone massif are illustrations of various animals including a crocodile, a giraffe, a hippopotamus, an ostrich, a cow or bull, and a possibly pregnant oryx.[2]
