Читать книгу A History of Ancient Egypt - Marc Van De Mieroop - Страница 44

Historians now regard Scorpion, Narmer, and others to be part of dynasty 0, a group that preceded the traditionally acknowledged rulers of the 1st dynasty. The number of rulers and the length of the period involved are debated. Some read royal names on the tags excavated in the U‐j tomb at Abydos from around 3250, others confine the use of the title “king” to later centuries. It is clear that the concept of kingship predated the unification of the state in Egypt, and that some who ruled only parts of the country had attributes, such as crowns, that were later reserved for kings of all of Egypt. Only with the establishment of the 1st dynasty was all of Egypt brought together in a firm union. Archaeological evidence does not support the idea that this was the result of the conquest of a northern state by a king from the south, as the art suggests. Especially in the Delta, there is no indication of a centralization of power before the 1st dynasty’s unification.

Most likely, the area that incorporated Abydos, Naqada, and Hierakonpolis first grew into a territorial unit and then rapidly expanded into other areas to its north and south. The close connection between these three previously independent centers is clear from the fact that the names of early rulers often appear in more than one site. For example, Narmer was buried in Abydos, but his most significant monuments were in Hierakonpolis, while his wife’s tomb may have been at Naqada. The annexation of Delta regions was the final act in this expansion.

Whatever the processes involved, we cannot really explain why a territorial union was pursued. Egypt is very resource rich, especially agriculturally, and there was no need for communities to seek fields far away in order to feed themselves. The desire for luxury goods from Asia – minerals, semi‐precious stones, oils, and wine – may have pushed people from the Abydos region to ensure guaranteed access, but the conquest of all intermediate zones seems a very laborious way to achieve that. Over the years, Egyptologists have suggested numerous explanations for the creation of the Egyptian state (see Key Debate 2.1). Originally, a sudden military conquest was the preferred scenario; today scholars favor the idea of a gradual growth of a unified territory. When compared to other ancient cultures, the creation of Egypt as a territorial state was a rapid process, requiring a few centuries only. Why it happened cannot be answered with confidence.