Nagada was a city in pre-dynastic Upper Egypt, representing a major culture of that time. Nagada has three different spellings in certain texts including Nakada or Naqada, and is usually broken up into three separate cultures: Amratian (Nagada I, 4200 - 3700 BC), Gerzean A (Nagada II, 3700 - 3250 BC), and Gerzean B (Nagada III, 3250 - 3050 BC).
In 1894-1895, 28 kilometers northwest of Luxor, Flinders Petrie unearthed three cemeteries at Nagada that contained 2200 graves, the largest mortuary in pre-dynastic Egypt. Along with the human remains, Petrie found mudbricks, dog bones, and pottery. In later excavations, piles of mudbrick from collapsed walls were found. This suggests that Nagada was the precursor to the burial monuments constructed by later Egyptian civilizations. Petrie also excavated 3 brick-lined tombs and one undisturbed grave with a number of sumptuary grave goods in gold foil, and other decorative material. Along the sides of the tomb were some human bones and in the center was a pile of bones with six skulls.
During the Nagada II period, people buried several objects with the dead, characteristic of that period. These items included copper, ivory, bone and shell jewelry, and small model figurines of humans, oxen and boats, together with model weapons and food. These item were believed to have magical purposes and helped with ensure that the dead would have a content afterlife. The people who lived in Nagada were followers of the god Seth, the god who killed Osiris, the god of the dead. Nagada is considered to be the center for the followers of Seth.
