A rock art panel from the site of el-Hosh featuring two boats along with human depictions, including one with royal regalia, alongside a presumed captor with a Nubian captive, adds a further important example of early royal iconography in Egyptian rock art. This early royal representation stands alongside the well-known panels from Nag el-Hamdulab and a depiction from the Wadi Mahamid in Elkab as the earliest depictions of kingship in the rock art medium. The three examples are roughly contemporaneous, with the el-Hosh panel sharing many features with the Nag el-Hamdulab figures. Despite the similarity we see in the smaller el-Hosh panel, we note the evidence that its production was of a less official nature. The display of a presumed captive and beheaded Nubian appears to reflect local conflict in the region during the period of production.