Dynasty 0

Dynasty 0 of Egypt
c. 3200 BCE–c. 3100 BCE
Name of King Iry-Hor, Dynasty 0, Eastern Kom, Tell el-Farkha. [1]
Capital	Thinis, Nekhen, Naqada
Common languages	Egyptian language
Religion	Ancient Egyptian religion
Government	Absolute monarchy
Historical era	Bronze Age
• Established	c. 3200 BCE
• Disestablished	c. 3100 BCE
Preceded by Succeeded by Predynastic Egypt First Dynasty of Egypt

Dynasty 0, or Dynasty Zero of Egypt, refers to the kings who ruled over part or all of Egyptian territory before the reign of the legendary Menes, founder of the First Dynasty and unifier of Egypt. Menes is often associated with Narmer, although the latter's successor, Hor-Aha, is also proposed. This era, located at the very end of the Predynastic period, corresponds to the Protodynastic period of ancient Egypt, and the final phase of the archaeological period of the Naqada culture, called Naqada III, and sees the rise of Egyptian royalty, first in Upper Egypt with three identified proto-kingdoms, leading, at some point in the period, to Egyptian unification.

In this period, those kings' names were inscribed in the form of serekhs on a variety of surfaces including pottery and tombs. The period was characterized by constant conflict with the people of the Nile Delta, probably for the control of valuable trade routes with the Levant. ^[2]

The Egyptian rulers of the period, attributed to "Dynasty 0", and may have ruled over some parts of Upper Egypt. They include rather obscure rulers such as Crocodile, Iry-Hor, Ka, and perhaps by the king Scorpion II, whose name may refer to, or be derived from, the goddess Serket, a special early protector of other deities and the rulers. ^[3] The period ended with the rise of Narmer, who became the first king of the First Dynasty and the first unifier of Egypt.

Upper Egypt

For Upper Egypt in the south, the following Dynasty 0 rulers have been listed: A , Finger Snail , Fish , Elephant , Stork , Bull , Scorpion I , Crocodile , Iry-Hor, Ka, Scorpion II , Narmer / Menes

Lower Egypt

For Lower Egypt in the north, the following Dynasty 0 rulers have been listed: Hedju Hor , Ny-Hor , Ni-Neith , Hat-Hor , Pu , Hsekiu , Khayu , Tiu , Thesh , Neheb , Wazner , Mekh , Double Falcon, Wash

• 
  Iry-Hor's tomb at the Umm el-Qa'ab comprises two separate chambers B1 and B2, and Ka's tomb is in B7, B8, B9
• 
  Vessel found at Tarkhan bearing the serekh of King Ka. Petrie Museum, London
• 
  Pharaoh Scorpion II on the Scorpion Macehead, Ashmolean Museum

References

1. Cialowicz, Krzysztof M. (2011). "6. The Early-Dynastic/Pre-Dynastic period at Tell al-Fakrah". Before the pyramids: the origins of Egyptian civilization; [publ. in conjunction with the Exhibition Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization, March 28 - December 31, 2011] (PDF). Chicago, Ill: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. pp. 63–64. ISBN   978-1-885923-82-0.
2. Josephson, Jack (29 November 2015). "Naqada IId, Birth of an Empire". Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt (51): 165. doi:10.5913/JARCE.51.2015.A007. Most of Dynasty 0 was spent at war with the Delta people, presumably to control and protect trade routes from the Levant, the source of invaluable wood, wine, and other commodities.
3. Shaw 2000, p. 71. sfn error: no target: CITEREFShaw2000 (help)