The Predynastic cemetery at locality HK43 is located at the southeastern edge of the concession area, at the edge of the Wadi Khamsini. Investigation of this cemetery was initiated in 1996 when a land reclamation scheme threatened to destroy it. After five seasons of investigation, 260 graves representing nearly 300 individuals have been uncovered. Almost all are robust individuals with extensive muscle attachments; who had been buried in a flexed position within mat-lined pits with very few grave goods, if any, suggesting that this cemetery is that of the working class inhabitants of ancient Hierakonpolis in the Naqada IIA-C period (3600-3400BC).

Some graves are pretty badly disturbed with no bone in position, apparently by plundering that occurred in medieval times (c. 1000AD), however about half of the burials have only lost their heads. Examples where the head was displaced but, for example a delicate basket right beside it remained untouched suggest that this disturbance took place not long after the original burial in Predynastic times by people familiar with the placement of the burial is the dry white sand. In some cases, they were able to tunnel down with such accuracy that only a small slit in the matting at the neck reveals the that a grave has been visited. This type of disturbance originally suggested to us that it was something around the necks of these otherwise poorly endowed individuals that must have been of some value, but in light of further discoveries there may be a different explanation for this. Certainly it is hard to imagine what a looter would have wanted as the general contents of the tombs are pretty poor. So far we have found only one necklace around the neck of only one child. Even in graves that have not been disturbed. little is found in them.

Pottery was the only major grave good and even this was found in less than half of the graves. When present, it is generally limited to Rough ware bottles containing the remains of beer and conical cooking pots holding ashes. The fine black-topped red ware jars or polished red ware bowls were extremely rare. The second best endowed grave found to date, an intact burial of an adult woman, contained 7 pottery vessels, only one of which might be considered fine ware. Three male burials contained copper needles and a chisel carefully hidden within leather pouches tied around the waist. No other metal, tools and/or weapons have been found. Although the level of wealth increases with time, as all levels of society have access to more material goods, the items found in the richest burial to date, discovered in 2002, were all used. Burial 209, of an older women, approximately 45 years of age at her death, dates to the Naqada IIC period (c 3500BC). The ceramic assemblage included three Polished red ware bowls, a deep bowl of marl fabric and two Rough ware bottles whose necks had already broken off and the edges ground down before they were placed in the grave. This burial also included two stone vessels, one of calcite, though badly chipped, and one of basalt as well as a bone hair comb that had also already lost a tang.

The general poverty of the burials in combination with pronounced muscle attachments and other work related transformations found on the bones indicates that this cemetery contains the remains of the working class population of ancient Hierakonpolis in the early Nagada II period (Nagada IIa-b, c. 3600BC).

As far as we are concerned the lack of valuable goodies is more than made up for by the stunning organic preservation. The hot dry sand into which the graves were dug has served to preserve delicate matting, basketry, fabric and food stuffs, as well as human skin, fingernails, hair, internal organs, stomach contents and coprolites. From these it has been possible to recover details of unique post mortem practices and funerary rituals only vaguely noted during earlier Predynastic excavations. Egypt's first mummies are only some of the new discoveries to come out of this cemetery.

More intriguing and certainly more disturbing is the evidence for ritual cutting and dismemberment of bodies at this cemetery. In depth examination of the skeletons by physical anthropologist Amy Maish has revealed lacerations to the throat on seven individuals including one of the wrapped body. Two clear cases of ritual decapitation have also been observed, with the heads subsequently places on the owners' chest. The majority of the cut marks occur on the first and second cervical vertebrae, the bones that connect the head to the spine. This is an area not easily reached with a knife while the person is still alive and fleshy, thus it is possible that the cutting was done after death and after a certain amount of the flesh had dried out. Certainly the amount of cutmarks, in some cases up to 15, is far more than necessary to cause death.

The purpose of this treatment remains unclear. The respect shown to the deceased by providing them with a burial within the cemetery, and equipping them with grave goods suggests that the purpose of this practice was not "to cause them to die a second death" or totally extinguish the person. The purpose instead may have been to neutralize or purify the power of the deceased to prevent them from harming the living. On the other hand, the discoveries made in Burial 85 (see Egypt's first mummies) have a strong resonance with the later myth of the dismembered god Osiris who was mummified and brought back to life, or recreated. Take a look for yourself!

For more information see the Nekhen News and also:

Friedman, R. with Amy Maish, Ahmed G. Fahmy, John C. Darnell and Edward D. Johnson, 1999. "Preliminary Report on Field Work at Hierakonpolis 1996-1998", JARCE 36:1-35.

Friedman, R.1997. "Hierakonpolis: a new look at an old site", Egyptian Archaeology: Bulletin of the Egypt Exploration Society 11: 12-14.

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