Scorpion I: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Predynastic Egyptian king}}

{{Pharaoh Infobox |

{{Infobox pharaoh

Name=Serket I |

| Name=Scorpion I

Image=[[Image:Selket_eg_mus_kairo_2002.png|center|87px|Serket I, Victorious King of the South]]|

| alt_name = Weha, Serk

Predecessor= ''Unknown Pharaoh'' |

| image =

Successor= [[Double Falcon]] |

| caption =

Dynasty=[[Protodynastic Period of Egypt|Protodynastic]] |

| horus =Weha / Serk <br/> ''Wḥˁ'' / ''Srq''<br/> ''Scorpion'' ?<br/> [[File:Skorpion name.svg|45px]]

Burial= Possibly [[Umm el-Qa'ab]], [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]]|

| Predecessor= [[Taurus (ruler)|Taurus]] ? owner of tomb U-k ?

| Successor= [[Double Falcon]] ? owner of tomb U-i ? [[Crocodile (pharaoh)|Crocodile]]? Later on [[Iry-Hor]]

| Reign= c. 3250 BC

| Dynasty=[[Naqada III]]

| burial Burial= PossiblyTomb U-j, [[Umm el-El Qa'ab]], [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]]|

| birth_date =

}}

'''King Serket I''' was the first of two kings so-named of [[Upper Egypt]] during the [[Protodynastic Period of Egypt|Protodynastic Period]]. His name may refer to the goddess [[Serket]].

'''Scorpion I''' ({{fl.|{{circa}} 3250 BC}}) was a ruler of [[Upper Egypt]] during [[Naqada III]]. He was one of the first rulers of [[Ancient Egypt]], and a graffito of him depicts a battle with an unidentified predynastic ruler. His tomb is known for the evidence of early examples of wine consumption in Ancient Egypt.

He is believed to have lived a few decades or so before the rule of [[Serket II]] at [[Abydos]]. The first-known predynastic king, he may have been a local ruler of the Nekhen who had nothing to do with the ruling house at [[Abydos]], or he may have been a rival from within that family. To him belongs the oldest tomb found in the cemetery of Abydos.

==Tombs==

Serket's name was borrowed for the [[2002]] movie ''[[The Scorpion King]]''.

Scorpion is believed to have lived in [[Thinis]] and was presumably the first true king of Upper Egypt. To him belongs the [[U-j]] tomb found in the royal cemetery of [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]], where [[Thinite Confederacy|Thinite]] kings were buried.<ref>[[Günter Dreyer|Dreyer, Günter]] (1998). ''Umm El-Quaab I: Das prädynastische Königsgrab U-j und seine frühen Schriftzeugnisse'' [Umm El-Quaab I: The predynastic royal tomb U-j and its early written records]. Mainz: Zabern, {{ISBN|3-8053-2486-3}}.</ref> That tomb was plundered in antiquity, but in it were found many small ivory plaques, each with a hole for tying it to something, and each marked with one or more [[hieroglyph]]-type scratched images which are thought to be names of towns, perhaps to tie the offerings and [[tribute]]s to keep track of which came from which town. Two of those plaques seem to name the towns [[Bubastis|Baset]] and [[Buto]], showing that Scorpion's armies had penetrated the [[Nile Delta]]. It may be that the conquests of Scorpion started the Egyptian [[hieroglyph]]ic system by starting a need to keep records in writing.<ref name=channel5_scorpion_king>''Secrets of Egypt'', [[Channel 5 (UK)|Channel 5]] TV program 2/8, "Scorpion King," 20 November 2008.</ref>

==Battle depiction==

[[William Golding]]'s novel ''The Scorpion God'' is loosely based upon this period of Egyptian History.

{{Main|Siege of Naqada}}

In 1995, a 5,000-year-old [[Graffito (archaeology)|graffito]] was discovered in the [[Theban Desert Road Survey]] that also bears the symbols of Scorpion and depicts [[Siege of Naqada|his victory]] over another [[Naqada III|protodynastic]] ruler (possibly [[Naqada]]'s king). The defeated king or place named in the graffito was a marking also found in [[U-j]], the name was "Bull's Head", this very likely refers to [[Bull (Pharaoh)|Taurus (Bull)]]. It is believed that Scorpion I unified Upper Egypt following the defeat of Naqada's king, meaning [[Nekhen]]'s royal house had submitted itself into a union with King Scorpion I in Thinis.<ref name=channel5_scorpion_king/><ref>{{cite news |title=Before the Pharaohs: Ancient Egypt Was Ruled by a Scorpion King, Reveals Ancient Text |newspaper=Curiosmos |date=April 3, 2019|url=https://curiosmos.com/before-the-pharaohs-ancient-egypt-was-ruled-by-a-scorpion-king-reveals-ancient-text/}}</ref>

==Evidence of wine consumption==

==See also==

Scorpion's tomb is known in archaeological circles for its possible evidence of ancient wine consumption. In a search of the tomb, archaeologists discovered dozens of imported ceramic jars containing a yellow residue consistent with wine, dated to around 3150 BC. Chemical residues of herbs, tree resins, and other natural substances were found in the jars. Grape seeds, skins and dried pulp were also found in the tomb.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Marc |title=Ancient winemaking operation unearthed |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 11, 2011|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006227.html }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/090413-scorpion-king-wine.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416154930/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/090413-scorpion-king-wine.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |title=Scorpion King's Wines--Egypt's Oldest--Spiked With Meds |website=nationalgeographic.com}}</ref>

* [[Pharaoh]]

* [[Serket II]]

* [[Narmer]]

* [[Menes]]

==References==

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{{Reflist}}

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{{s-ttl | title=[[Pharaoh|Pharaoh of Egypt]] | years=[[Protodynastic Period of Egypt|Protodynastic]] }}

{{s-aft | after=[[Double Falcon|Nahe-Nahe]] }}

{{end}}

==External links==

[[Category:Pharaohs]]

*[https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ancient-egyptian-art-reveals-rulers.html Ancient - Egyptian rock art reveals rulers' divine claims and violent displays of power Phys.org - August 26, 2025]

[[Category:Ancient Egypt stubs]]

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{{s-bef | before=''none''[[Bull (Pharaoh)|Bull]]? }}

{{S-ttl | title=[[List of pharaohs#Early Dynastic Period|Pharaoh of Egypt]]}}

{{sS-aft | after=[[Double Falcon|NaheIry-NaheHor]] ?}}

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{{Pharaohs}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:32nd-century BC pharaohs]]

[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]

[[Category:Year of death unknown]]

[[Category:PharaohsNaqada III]]

{{AncientEgypt-bio-stub}}