Funerary stele

This stele comes from the Umm el-Qaab necropolis on the Abydos archaeological site. This predynastic cemetery became a royal necropolis at the end of the 4th millennium BCE and is of major interest for understanding the early history of Egypt. The stele commemorates an individual, possibly a priest, called Medjedsen, who was buried in one of the tombs surrounding the royal tomb so that he could accompany the king into the afterlife. This monument also bears witness to the development of hieroglyphic writing, which appeared around 3200 BC.