Hieroglyphic graffiti carved into desert bedrock near El Kab includes the name 'Mery Ra' meaning 'beloved of Ra.' Beyond it lie petroglyphs of boats and cows. Water erosion on the carvings suggests they predate the area's last water presence, and tool marks hint at former structures long gone.
Prehistoric hieroglyphic graffiti and petroglyphs carved into desert bedrock
EgyptGeneral
Key facts
- Hieroglyphic graffiti carved directly into bedrock including the name 'Mery Ra' meaning 'beloved of Amun'
- Petroglyphs found beyond the Egyptian writing, including images of boats and cows
- Water erosion evidence on the carvings indicates they predate the last presence of water in the area
- Tool marks indicate former structures once existed at the site
- Graffiti carved at significant heights, requiring considerable effort to produce
Site mentioned
Sources
Elkab - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
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Ancient Egyptian graffiti, burial sites discovered by Yale archaeologistsnews.yale.edu
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Since 2016, the Oxford Expedition to Elkab has extended its work of epigraphic recording and publication to the Late and Graeco-Roman Period ...
Rock inscriptions; Vulture Rock at Elkab, c. 2250 BCE; photograph...researchgate.net
Upper Egyptian city Elkab, there is a prominent rock on which hundreds of carvings and inscriptions were made from prehistoric times onwards.
Dispatch from the Field: Greetings from Elkab! - Dr. Colleen Darnellcolleendarnell.com
As John has noted, an early hieroglyphic inscription at el-Khawy, a few kilometers north of Elkab, may contain the first word we can read ...
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