The oldest-known representations of a pharaoh are carved on
rocks near the Nile River in southern Egypt, researchers report.
Look closely — standing on the top of this boat is a crowned
figure who may represent Narmer, the first pharaoh to rule
unified Egypt. Oarsmen propel the boat along. Credit: Stan
Hendrickx, John Coleman Darnell & Maria Carmela Gatto The
carvings were first observed and recorded in the 1890s, but only
rediscovered in 2008. In them, a white-crowned figure travels in
ceremonial processions and on sickle-shaped boats, perhaps
representing an early tax-collecting tour of Egypt. The scenes
place the age of the carvings between 3200 B.C. and 3100 B.C.,
researchers report in the December issue of the journal
Antiquity. During that time, Egypt was transitioning into the
dynastic rule of the pharaohs. “It’s really the end of
prehistory and the beginning of history,” in Egypt, study
researcher Maria Gatto told LiveScience. Scenes of a ruler
Gatto, a Yale University researcher, led the archaeologis