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Over a century ago, excavators unearthed the image of an unknown ruler called King Scorpion. His name has intrigued experts ever since, but it’s only now that major new finds are bringing him to life. In the process they are opening up a whole new chapter at the dawn of Egyptian history. A scene carved on a desert rockface seems to celebrate King Scorpion’s conquest of Southern Egypt in an age before the Pharaohs, and the discovery of a tomb believed to be his suggests he was an innovative ruler who may have presided over the birth of Egyptian writing. Recent excavations are also showing that the Scorpion King’s world relied on the achievements of even earlier generations – from the pre-historic nomads who arrived in the Nile Valley after a period of dramatic climate change, to the rulers of Egypt’s first city who forged many of the prototypes for the glories that would follow.
