HK6 Tombs 72 and 77

Combs from HK6 (the elite cemetery) Tomb 72 at Hierakonpolis

"Hippo" comb from HK6 Tomb 72

A spot on the top of the hippo figure’s back seems to have been intentionally burnt. This comb was found just above the remains of the tomb owner’s pelvis.

A man standing with a leashed young hippo on Gebelein painted linen, Gebelein, ca. 3600 BC	Pot from HK6 Tomb 72, Naqada IIB period

A young hippo was found at HK6 Feature H in Hierakonpolis. The right fibula of the hippo has a healed fracture. The fracture of the fibula to the hippo probably relates to being constrained by a rope above the ankle joint. Unlike a hippo between 6 and 12 months of age from Tomb 12, which must have died from starvation without its mother, the hippo from Feature H was capable of surviving longer. This is indicated by a pathology showing that the young hippo was indeed, for a rather long time, under human control.

The hippopotamus calf from Feature H: the intact left fibula and the healed right fibula

HK6 Tomb 72 is set within a large wooden structure (Structure F). The body of Tomb 72 owner was highly disturbed. Bones of a young person, 17-20 years of age, were found scattered in the upper fill and surrounding areas. Only some fingers and a part of the pelvis were found on the floor of the tomb. The majority of the objects date the tomb to the Naqada IIA-B period, roughly 3700-3600 BC; however, many show evidence of use prior to deposition.

The almost complete removal of the human bones from the floor of the tomb, while many objects were left in place, suggests that the grave had been violated soon after the owner's death. This seems to have been an act of aggression against the tomb owner, rather than merely robbery. The wooden building above the tomb was then burnt down, along with other posts within Structure F.

HK6 Tomb 32, dated to the Naqada IIA-B period, contained the skeletal remains of as many as eight individuals, two or possibly three of whom had been exposed to fire. Based on isolated cranial fragments, the cremated remains appear to belong to a male and a female. A third individual is represented by a non-adult hand bone (a first metacarpal), sex indeterminate. Discoloration of the fragments in black and reddish brown hues is consistent with heat exposure within the 200–600˚C range. There was no indication of fire within the tomb itself. Tombs 31–32 and the fence surrounding them are later additions that were not initially part of the Tomb 16 complex.

To the north of Tomb 32, a shallow pit contained the remains of two dogs (Feature D), and to the south, a deeper pit held the disturbed remains of a juvenile hippopotamus (Feature H).

HK6 Tomb 77 contained the highly disturbed remains of a robust man, aged between 35 and 50 years, who had a healed compress fracture on the front part of his skull. Fragments of two large beakers were all that remained of his grave goods. Tomb 77 predates the enclosure around Tombs 31-32. In fact, the south wall of the enclosure cuts through Tomb 77.

A man standing outside a house and a stick with a rounded end (?)

Gebelein painted linen, Gebelein

The burned house at HK29 in Hierakonpolis features one (once mud, now burnt) brick near the entrance that had been decorated with wavy lines made by the maker’s fingers.

The settlement cluster HK29/29A is the burned house and workshop of a potter.

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May 12, 2024   Takahiko Nakagawa