Naqada

Naqada stands near the site of a prehistoric Egyptian necropolis: The town, called Ombos, was the centre of the cult of Set and large tombs were built there {{circa}} 3500 BCE.{{cite book |last=Rice |first=Michael |year=2003 |title=Egypt's Making: The origins of ancient Egypt 5000–2000 BC |page=75 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PXZl03dabVYC&pg=PA75 |via=Google Books |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-203-42816-0}}

The large quantity of remains from Naqada has enabled the dating of the entire archeological period throughout Egypt and its environs, hence the town name Naqada is used for the pre-dynastic Naqada culture {{circa}} 4400–3000 BCE. Other Naqada culture archeological sites include el Badari, the Gerzeh culture, and Nekhen.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

Petrie's initial findings during his excavations lead him to incorrectly believe he had found a new race of people who had invaded Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. This would later be disproven by the work of Jacques de Morgan who had conducted his own digs in the Naqada Region. Morgan's findings showed that the artifacts came from an earlier era and this lead Petrie to revise his own findings.{{Cite web |last=Society |first=The Egypt Exploration |title=The Naqada Regional Archaeological Survey and Site Management Project |url=https://www.ees.ac.uk/resource/the-naqada-regional-archaeological-survey-and-site-management-project.html |access-date=2024-03-17 |website=www.ees.ac.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Background information to Naqada |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/naqada/background.html |access-date=2024-03-17 |website=www.ucl.ac.uk}}

File:Evolution of Egyptian prehistoric pottery styles, from Naqada I to Naqada II and Naqada III.jpg

The graves that were uncovered contained bodies that were less intact and were placed by streams and in covered pits compared to the Egyptian practice of usually placing the graves on a cliff face or rising ground and having the bodies lie in a hollow or a cave and they lacked the embalming typical of Egyptian burials.{{Cite book |last=Petrie |first=W. M. Flinders |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028748261/page/n3/mode/2up |title=Naqada and Ballas |last2=Quibell |first2=J. E. |publication-date=1895 |publisher=B. Quartich, London |year=1896 |pages=18 |language=English}}

Research into the predynastic sites of the dead in the Naqada region came to show that they had transitioned into a state style of civilization and away from a chiefdom. Many of these graves had contained many items ranging from amulets to hairpins to knives made of flint. Few of these graves had items of value or were of special use which tells us that they had a developing class of people who resided within the upper class including an established group of middle class individuals. This level of monetary stability is thought to have come from the region having an established gold trade as reveled by seals found in cemeteries.{{Cite book |title=The Oxford encyclopedia of ancient Egypt |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-510234-5 |editor-last=Redford |editor-first=Donald B. |location=New York}}

A survey of the area in the years between 1978 and 1981, led by Fekri Hassan, working with the Washington State University in a project titled Predynastic of Naqada was done in an attempt to find more cemetery sites. This project did lead to the discovery of more cemeteries. This survey also lead to the rediscovery of the Royal Tomb that was found by de Morgan which was then later re-evaluated. Through the survey the area of Nubt, in the south town, was found to have been looted and used by the farmers in the area as a form of fertilizer called Sebakh. The objects that were left behind had been moved from their original location or were sold on the black market.{{Cite web |last=Tassie |first=G. J |last2=Wetering |first2=Joris van |title=The History and Research of the Naqada Region Collection |url=https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/31538923/Tassie___Wetering_-_Naqada_Region_collection_%282013%29-libre.pdf?1392412175=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DThe_History_and_Research_of_the_Naqada_R.pdf&Expires=1710831281&Signature=Aaxn0nfRHHS5ECA7ZJiJ2~GFh0-l3WL6mZ7knR1gsMOz8uiXRbCd0jbweFW2Sj2bnnpijpgwzOML4hD9NAJjAI3kbKvNHjo7-vlZotP-Qo6N~KCh586HNpW84pJ0ZUhEis~TTr7T9mOj1H4NxhfmwLItx3Dv4KljyANGaBMSa6YR7FwQhfvX1rqjGpNpdLtr7CktAWPagjr3iSgrO~X~nW6DRP30S5jpnJM1zviA4ffUm-w-XOf3rKFBiYojUSr2607VYMyrmjnDtdM~8YuZwUXYx92TjchAtKFz4A9fH31~7xZgZHfUJGUzsSDbPn2vzbJREgdKYgIDR1-Z5K4WGg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA}}

In August 2018 the Egypt Exploration Society had conducted tests in the area of Nubt to test for its ability to be used for further research. The purpose of this survey is to bring more attention to the usefulness of the site and for protecting it. Later seasons will take looks into how to best preserve the sites. Further work will begin on the surrounding area.

In the Stargate franchise, alien civilizations make extensive use of a mineral, naquada, named after the archaeological site.

File:Dagon Museum, Neolithic Sickle.JPG|Sickle made of flint, Egypt, Naqada period, end of the fourth millennium BCE, Dagon Museum, Haifa

File:Acheulean hand-axe from Egypt. Found on a hill top plateau, 1400 feet above sea level, 9 miles NNW of the city of Naqada, Egypt. Paleolithic. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|Acheulean hand-axe from Egypt. Found on a hilltop plateau, 1400 feet above sea level, 9 miles NNW of the city of Naqada, Egypt. Paleolithic. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London

File:Black granite, seated statue of Sennefer with cartouche of Amenhotep (Amenophis) II on right arm. From the temple of Seth at Naqqada, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|Black granite, seated statue of Sennefer with cartouche of Amenhotep II (Amenophis) on right arm. From the temple of Seth at Naqada, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London

File:Naqada I bone figure.jpg|Naqada I bone figure with lapis lazuli inlays (the inlays are a modern addition). British Museum

File:Chronological evolution of Egyptian prehistoric pottery styles, from Naqada I to Naqada III.jpg|Evolution of Egyptian prehistoric pottery styles, from Naqada I to Naqada II and Naqada III

File:Limestone architectural fragment. A door jamb, part of a doorway. From the temple of Seth (which was built by Thutmosis III) at Naqada, Egypt. 18th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum.jpg|Limestone architectural fragment. A door jamb, part of a doorway. From the temple of Seth (which was built by Thutmosis III) at Naqada, Egypt. 18th Dynasty. Petrie Museum

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Category:Predynastic Egypt

Category:Archaeological sites in Egypt

Category:Populated places in Qena Governorate

Category:5th-millennium BC establishments

Category:Set (deity)