Rock art around settlements: the boats and fauna at Hierakonpolis, Egypt

Hierakonpolis (ancient Nekhen) near Edfu, in Upper Egypt, is well known for its late Predynastic and Early Dynastie archaeological localities, which have been excavated and researched over many decades. Several of these localities lie adjacent to rock beds and hills that show rock art and inscriptions representing a broad span of time. This paper will present the results of two seasons of intensive survey of the site's rock art. While much of the rock art is in proximity to areas that saw permanent settlements or funerary sites in the Predynastic period, there are also a number of natural and man-made shelters incorporating petroglyphs portraying abstract compositions as well as figural designs. The themes depicted in the rock art and its close proximity to occupation areas of known function offer unique research opportunities for associating the two and add to an understanding of habitation patterns and activities at Hierakonpolis.