Traces of early Egyptian burial rituals in Proto- and Early Dynastic graves from Tell el-Farkha

The widely unplundered cemetery at Tell el-Farkha has preserved some elements of burials, such as the presence of ochre, pure sand and liquid mud. This can be best explained as ritually motivated. Funerary feasts, food offerings and deposits of granary models and so-called ‘granary’ jars seem also to have represented some beliefs connected to the afterlife. More difficult to interpret are the examples of subsidiary and incomplete burials also registered at the site. Finally, it is worth mentioning niche decorated façades that evolved into cult niches and later into the false doors well-known from the Pharaonic period, which were tightly connected to sepulchral beliefs. The presented material offers a rare and unique insight into the process of establishing burial rituals during the early stages of Egyptian civilization.