A newly reported rock inscription in Egypt’s southwest Sinai has delivered a stark, 5,000-year-old image of power: a victorious figure with raised arms stands over a kneeling local person struck by an arrow. Found in Wadi Khamila, the scene is being described as one of the earliest known “killing” depictions paired with an inscription - evidence, researchers argue, of Egypt’s earliest push to dominate the mineral-rich peninsula.
The discovery was made by Mustafa Nour El-Din of the Aswan Inspectorate at the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, while interpretation has been led by Egyptologist Prof. Dr. Ludwig Morenz (University of Bonn). The find is important because it adds a new location to the early Egyptian “map” of Sinai activity - suggesting a broader network of control than previously documented explain the researchers in an IDW Online release.
- Ancient Egyptian Secrets Revealed: How Did They Bore Through Granite?
- What Egyptians Ate: Did the Cuisine of Ancient Egypt Reflect the Tastes of Today?
A Violent Panel in Wadi Khamila
The scene is carved into a prominent rock surface that would have been easily visible to travelers - exactly the kind of place ancient authorities used to make messages “stick.” The dominant figure is shown striding forward with arms raised in a triumph gesture, while the defeated person kneels with bound arms and an arrow in the chest. A boat symbol also appears, a motif associated with early Egyptian rulership and expeditions.
Victorious man strides forward with raised arms; at left, a bound kneeling figure pierced by an arrow. An Egyptian boat signifies dominance. Inscription reads: God Min, ruler of copper region. (Copyright: Photo: M. Nour El-Din/redrawing: E. Kiesel/IDW)
Morenz and Nour El‑Din argue in their recent paper that the panel dates to around 3000 BC, and that its combination of imagery and inscription supports the idea that Egyptians were not merely visiting Sinai, they were marking it as controlled territory. The authors also note heavy “overwriting” on the rock face, including modern graffiti, underlining how these visible surfaces keep attracting inscriptions across millennia. The acknowledge that accurate dating is difficult, saying:
“Iconography, style, and epigraphy provide a good basis here… There is also the cultural context: We know that ‘the Egyptians’ embarked on economic expeditions in the southwest Sinai in the late 4th century.”
- Did Ancient Egyptians Trade Nicotine and Cocaine With the New World?
- Nine Parts of the Human Soul According to the Ancient Egyptians
Rock panel in Wadi Khamila (Copyright: Photo: M. Nour El-Din/Blatter Abrahams)
Why the Sinai Was a Key Area: Copper, Turquoise, and Control
Southwest Sinai held prized resources, especially copper and turquoise, that drew Egyptian expeditions from very early periods. In this interpretation, the violence isn’t random: it is propaganda, carved into stone to intimidate local communities and announce who now “owns” the route, the mines, and the output, explains the release.
The Wadi Khamila panel is now being discussed alongside better-known Egyptian inscription zones such as Wadi Ameyra, Wadi Maghara, and Wadi Humur. Put together, those places hint at repeated, organized movements - seasonal or expeditionary - into Sinai, with messages of dominance left along the way.
Other Egyptian messages in the Sinai - remains of Temple of Hathor, Serabit el-Khadim. (Einsamer Schütze/CC BY-SA 3.0)
The God Min and “Divine Permission” to Colonize
A key claim in the scholarly publication is that the inscription references the god Min, an early deity linked to Egyptian activity beyond the Nile Valley, and may read as “(God) Min, ruler of copper ore / the mining region.” If correct, the message isn’t only political; it’s religious, framing Egyptian dominance as something sanctioned by divine authority. Nour El‑Din & Morenz PDF
That matters because early Egyptian expansion often wrapped itself in sacred language. Here, the divine name functions like a seal: the domination pictured below is not merely a raid, but an officially “approved” claim to a landscape and its wealth. IDW Online
Top image: Sinai desert landscape, Egypt. Inset; the inscription found at Wadi Khamila, Sinai. Source: Tommy from Arad/CC BY 2.0; Inset; M. Nour El-Din/redrawing: E. Kiesel/IDW
By Gary Manners
References
Nour El‑Din, M., & Morenz, L. D. 2025. Wadi Khamila, the god Min and the Beginning of “Pharaonic” Dominance in Sinai 5000 years ago. Available at: https://www.freunde-abrahams.de/media/blaetter-abrahams/heft-25-2025/07.BAb.Nour-El-Din_Morenz.pdf
Uni Bonn / IDW Online. 2026. Spectacular discovery in the Sinai. Available at: https://idw-online.de/en/news864987
