Bull (king)

Taurus is the makeshift name for a predynastic petty king from around 3250 BC. BC, the existence of which is however highly controversial.

background

If “Taurus” actually represents a ruler's name, it is mostly known from ivory tablets from the Abydenian grave Uj of Umm el-Qaab and a rock carving on Gebel Tjauty mountain . Egyptologist Günter Dreyer concludes the existence of King “Stier” from incisions on a statue of the god Min , which he interprets as a succession of rulers . He suspects that the grave goods, which were intended for King Scorpio I , came from the domain of the king "bull" and that the bull symbol came from the name of the latter. A further confirmation of the existence of this ruler allows the interpretation of a rock drawing discovered in 2003 at Gebel Tjauty in the desert west of Thebes . It therefore represents a successful campaign by King Scorpio (I) against King "Taurus". This battle was possibly part of the concentration of power in late prehistoric Egypt: Scorpion I , operating from Thinis , conquered the area of Taurus in the area of Naqada .

However, since the Taurus sign is never accompanied by a Horus falcon or a gold rosette - both certain symbols of rulership already in the predynastics - its existence as a king is questioned by some research. The writing expert Ludwig D. Morenz and the Egyptologist Jochem Kahl point out that the Egyptian hieroglyphic writing was still in the early development phase during the predynastic period and that a reliable assignment of individual symbols is extremely uncertain. The reason for this is the fact that in this early phase of font development there were no fixed determinants for “Ortschaft”, “ Gau ” and “Region”. A bull portrayal could represent the king as attacking force, but he could also be part of a designation for a certain place or district (e.g. for the mountain bull district). There were also bull representations in connection with the archaic ceremony “Catching the wild bull” as a preliminary form for the later Apis run . A representation of a bull therefore does not necessarily confirm a king's name.

See also

• List of pharaohs

literature

• Günter Dreyer: Umm el-Qaab I .: the predynastic royal tomb Uj and its early written documents (= Umm el-Qaab , 1st volume). von Zabern, Mainz 1998, ISBN 3-8053-2486-3 .
• Gregory Phillip Gilbert: Weapons, warriors and warfare in early Egypt (= BAR international series. Volume 1208). Archaeopress, 2004, ISBN 1-84171-571-9 .
• Ludwig David Morenz: picture letters and symbolic signs. The development of the script of the high culture of ancient Egypt (= Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 205). Friborg 2004, ISBN 3-7278-1486-1 .

Web links

• Information on possible and proven rulers of the predynastic on Xoomer.it (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Günter Dreyer: Umm el-Qaab I. Mainz 1998, pp. 87 & 176.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Ludwig David Morenz: Image letters and symbolic signs. Friborg 2004, pp. 130-134, 172, 190-193.
3. ^ Gregory Phillip Gilbert: Weapons, warriors and warfare in early Egypt. 2004, pp. 93 & 94.
4. ↑ Wolfgang Helck : Investigations on the Thinite Age (= Ägyptologische Abhandlungen. (ÄA) Vol. 45). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1987, ISBN 3-447-02677-4 , ( limited online version ), pp. 147 & 153.

predecessor	Office	successor
unsure	Little King Before the 0th Dynasty	unsure