Predynastic Period
0 Dynasty (Terminal Naqada) 3250—3050
About 9—13 kings ruling from Heriakonpolis in Upper Egypt. Only the last four are known. There is some question as to whether the 0 Dynasty inclues Narmer – he is usually included in the 1st Dynasty as the founding king of Egypt. He is recorded as the “first king” of Egypt.
Some of the “names” here are simply expressions of the synbol used by the king – a crocodile or scorpion in a serekh, symbolizing the “king name” and usually meant as “The Horus X”, i.e, “The King X”. They may not be real names, and the same sigil may be used by more than one person. There are many serekhs found that are similar, and many anonymous serekh’s found from this period.
Sekhen
Burial Place
First king buried at Abydos
Iry-Hor/Ro
Titulary
Originally name was read as Ro.
The reading of the name is questionable – the sign of the falcon (hor) over the sign of a mouth (iry). Petrie interpreted this as Ro (the mouth sign only), as no other king has the name of the falcon (hor) embedded in his name.
Dates
Reigned about 3100 BCE
Succession
Placed after Ka by Petrie.
Burial Place
Abydos Tomb B1 and B2
History
The oldest ruler known by name.
Tomb excavated in 1902 by Flinders Petrie. Later excavations found seal impressions and potsherds with his name. In the tomb were also found items with the names Narmer and Ka, suggesting that it was reopened and later offerings added.
Atteszted to by the jars with the falcon-mouth sigil.
May not have been a king at all, since the name never occurs in a serekh or in association with signs indicating kingship. The falcon-mouth sign may be the sign of the royal treasury or other office. However, the size and location of the tomb suggestthat Iry-Hor/Ro was a regional king.
Ka
Titulary
Two raised arms (ka), later meaning “soul” are found in a serekh in his tomb.
First pharaoh to adopt the serekh
Burial
Abydos B7-B9 Umm el Ga’ab
Very damaged.
Flint knife and pieces of ceramic with the king’s serakh were found, although without a falcon
History
Well-attested by potsherds and labels in a large, two-room tomb in Abydos.
Tomb excavated in 1902.
Horus “Crocodile”
History
Known from only a few remains, mostly a cylinder seal found in Tarkhan, excavated in 1912.. The motif is water-waves and crocodiles, although not a formal name.
Possibly a ruler of a single province in Egypt, the 6th, with the Crocodiile as its symbol.
Possibly a contemporary with Narmer
No tomb at Abydos found
Horus “Scorpion” I
History
An elaborate tomb in Abydos (J) was found in the 1990s,with images of scorpions in a royal fashion, and jars with many ivory tags.
Possibly not the name of the king, but a representation of the office or of the nome.
Horus “Scorpion” II
Titulary
Name sometimes shown as Selq, but it is not shown in a serekh, as other kings of the era were shown
Persons
Father Ka (poss)
Grandfather Iry-Hor
Great Grandfather Crocodile (poss)
Possibly Child Menes
Possibly Grandchild Den, Nynetjer
History
The action movie The Scorpion King, starring The Rock, is fantasy, of course; but there is indeed quite a bit of valid evidence for an Egyptian king who is commonly called “Scorpion”, based on the depiction of a scorpion sign with his portrait on a macehead. The person shown is a king, based on the presentation of the figure with the White Crown of Upper Egypt and the size of the figure towering over advisors and attendants. Of course, the macehead is just a fragment, and there is some dispute over whether the sign of the Scorpion is meant as a name, or if the king is some other early dynastic king and the scorpion sign is some kind of title or has some other meaning.
There is a large, many-roomed tomb in Abydos (B50) that has been identified as belonging to the “Scorpion King”, although no conclusive evidence has been found.
A recent article in the NY Times has posited that the Scorpion King waged war against Naqada (the earliest Egyptian culture) around 3250 BCE. This is based on a series of insriptions called the Scorpion Tableau.
The hardest thing about reconciling the existence of a possibly mythic “Scorpion King” is that his name does not appear in a serekh – a stylized pre-cartouche topped by a falcon – as do the names of the other kings of Dynasty 0 and I. Normally, these early kings were known only by their “Horus Name”, a formalized king-name that was displayed in the serekh. But these very early kings often were known only by a single descriptor – “Crocodile”, “Scorpion”, “Falcon”, “Bull”. Even the well-known Narmer was known as “Catfish”.
It has been suggested that Scorpion may have been a close contemporary of Narmer, based on the similiatires of the maceheads and palette attributed to them. Scorpion was reckoned to come from Hierakonpolis, a competing city to This, which spawned the first dynasty kings. AT the time, they may have been the base cities for competing chiefs.
A few serekhs have been found on pottery and vases that are interpreted by some as being Scorpion. However, these have also been read as beonging to other kings (Aha and even Crocodile) and it is possible that these labels do not even represent the king(s) at all!
He may have come from the royal house of Hierakonpolis, rather than from This, the origin city of the Thinite dynasty from whence came his later successor Narmer, the King Catfish. Perhaps This and Hierakonpolis each were the centers of rival chiefdoms, and when Scorpion’s reign ended, This assumed an uncontested position as sovereign of Egypt. Perhaps Narmer was the first king who actually reigned unchallenged throughout the country. Based upon Scorpion’s apparent connection with Hierakonpolis and from the stylistic similarities between his macehead and the palette and macehead attributed to Narmer, the two rulers may well have been close contemporaries.
Mace heads were found in the 1980s in the Main Deposit within the old temple of Heirakonpolis. The macehead shows the king with the white crown. It has been read to show a sign of a scorpion in front of the ruler, although this is a creative reading of the macehead. A crocodile’s tail hanging down may instead linnk this macehead with a previous ruler.
It is possible that this king and the tomb supposedly belonging to Scorpion I are for the same person, instead of an earlier person with the same name.
Narmer
Titulary
“Catfish”
Sereks with his name has been found throughout the country and a lot of them in Tarkhan slightly south of the first capital of all Egypt - Memphis. A catfish (Nar) and a chisel (mer) made up his name, but there existed several variations, possibly the writers' way to make the readers pronounce the name correctly.
It is also possible that he was Menes.
Dates
Lived around 3100 BCE
Succession
Successor (possibly son) Horus Aha
Persons
Wife Neit-Hotep
Possibly father of Horus Aha
Attributions
Famous “Narmer Palette”, a ceremonial green slate palette discovered in the temple at Hierakonpolis in 1895. Currently in the Cairo Museum
Burial
Buried in Abydos, B17-B18
Two joinsed chambers B1y is 3 x 4.1 meters and is well preserved. B18 has collapsed and was rebuilt. There are two holed (65cm deep) in the floor of B17, probably for posts
Brick construction, covered with mud mortar and painted white.
Wif’es mastaba is nearby and much larger than his tomb
Horus Aha is also a few meters away
History
Came from upper egypt
Lived around 3100 BCE
Pharaoh Narmer has for some reason always been put outside the dynasty scheme, but since the Egyptians themselves from the very beginning recorded him as their first king, there is no reason not to give him prime position in the line of rulers.
In the first years of the 1900s his tomb was excavated by the famous English egyptologist Flinders Petrie at the cemetery in Abydos, the oldest royal burial ground known in Egypt. In the 1990s the site was excavated again by German Egyptologists, and another tablet depicting Narmer was found.
He could well have been named Nar-bedjau or something similar. His name does not appear in later king lists, though he had so many written remains during his lifetime. Many of them are found on jars in grave from Tarkhan, the possibly last stronghold for the southern kings of Thinis before the final push northwards to make the revolution complete. This indicates that his reign was prior to Menes, the legendary unifier of the two Egyptian lands according to Greek historian Manetho, living in Egypt in the 200s BC.
There are many things about Narmer pointing in the opposite direction - that he was Menes. His name was first in line of kings from seals during the first dynasty, and his name has been found from Syria in the north to Nubia in the south, but only on petty things like jars, potsherds and labels.
The only monument left after him is his tomb with its massive walls at the cemetery B in Abydos. The wall dividing the two chambers seem to have been far to thick in the drawings made a hundred years ago, and was rather a double construction for a mini-chamber in between the big ones..
Links
Early Dynastic Period
There is some argment over who/what is included in the Early Dynastic period. Some scholars include Narmer as the first king, others begin with the more vague Menes (Horus Aha).
Prior to the first dynasty are some attested rules that are put into the convenient “Dynasty 0” and plopped into the pre-dynastic era of Egyptian history. This appears to be necessary because more data and artifacts are being found from earlier periods that allow egyptologists to begin placing them in some sort of order. These do not actually represent a “Dynasty” as the later divisions do, but is more to represent the period before a consistent succession can be determined.
Earlier kings include Crocodile and Scorpian (not really names, but they are named after their hieroglphic representation. Using this logic, it is possible to call Menes “Falcon” and Narmer “Catfish” – in those cases, we simply have more information to give them actualy names.
The major accomplishment of the early dynastic periods is to unify the two lands (north and south) of Egypt into a single pollitical entity under one king. Admittedly, Egypt wasn’t qwite as large then (upper egypt probably stopped around Aswan), but it was an accomplishment that was to be lost and regained many times in the dynasties to follow.
1st Dynasty
Oxford History 3050 – 2890
Piccione 3050—2867
Little actual history is known of the pharaohs of the early dynasties. Their monuments, however, are some of the most studied artifacts in the world.
Most of the tombs and artifacts have been found in Abydos.
Menes (Horus Aha)
Titulary
Horus Name: Horus Aha “Horus the Fighter”
King Lists: Teti, iti
Manetho: afr – athothis, eus -- athothis
Alternate names: Hor-Aha, Hor Aha, Horus-Aha, Horus Aha, Athothis I, Athôthis (I)
Birth name: Mn, Menes “Established”
Manetho Africanus: Athothis
Abydos List: Teti
Turin Canon: Teti
Dates
3050—2890 BCE Piccione
Manetho: ruled 62 years
Succession
predecessor father Narmer (presumed)
successor son Djer
Persons
father Narmer mother Neithotepe (Nithotep)
chief wife Queen Berenb, or Bernerib, “Sweet of Hearts”
son Djer out of Hent
Buildling
tomb at abydos, 3 brick-lined chambers roofed with wood
built temple to Nieth (Nit) at Sais
Burial Place
Abydos
grave has 33 subsidiary burials containing men 20-25 years old and seven youngg lions.
Originally thought three separate tombs, extended over time
Recent surveys by German team linked the chambers under a single roof
Walls 1.5-2 m thick. Tomb 11 x 9 m.
Tombs ot the east may be his officials and nobles
History
founded memphis
founded crocodopolis
Aha is known for millions of people as King Menes of Memphis. He was the founding king of the 1st Dynasty,
First king to unify Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. Ancient Egypt's most predominant form of civilization began with his crowning, and did not end permanently until the beginning of the Roman era, which started with Augustus Caeser.
Menes founded the city of Memphis, and chose as its location an island in the Nile, so that it would be easy to defend. He was also the founder of Crocodopolis.
During his time, the Egyptian army performed raids against the Nubians in the south and expanded his sphere of influence as far as the First Cataract.
His chief wife was Queen Berenib, though she was not the mother of his heir, King Djer, and his mother was Neithotepe.
His death is a mystery, for, according to legend he was attacked by wild dogs and Nile crocodiles in Faiyum .
Menes' tomb resides at Saqqara, the famed necropolis of Memphis. He died at the age of Sixty Three.
(from Otto Vendel)
Pharaoh Aha is by tradition among archaeologists the pharaoh that founded the first dynasty and a long reign and monuments and other remains attested to him have been found all over Egypt.
If he was the first king (by historian Manetho called Menes) he was supposed to have been in office for 62 years. He was an active ruler put forward the god Ptah from his new capital Memphis who patron of creation and handicraft. This town (or more likely a shrine within it) originally had the name "Hiku-Ptah" later to be corrupt by foreigners to the name "Egypt".
All forms of craftsmanship and art was supported during his rule, and he was a reconciler between the two fractions in the country after the Upper (southern) part's taking over of the Lower (northern).
Manetho says that during this time the Egyptian people learned how to live in a civilized manner, and worship the gods in a proper way. The first great mastaba tomb at Sakkara (the royal cemetery of Memphis) is from Aha's reign (Nr 3357, ~ 42 x 15 m), and was the first ever to have a boat buried beside. This custom with maritime connection was to continue for thousands of years.
At the same site great mastabas were built for persons believed to have been high officials and probably close relatives to the king or his queen. Very few remains (if any) from king Aha are found outside Egypt and just a single find of foreign pottery is found from his reign.
A big change is shown in his tomb complex at Abydos, so different from his predecessors' and presumed father Narmer's. The main buildings are three chambers with very thick walls placed in a row (picture right). Like the other coming tombs they were lined inside with wood and roofed with wooden beams. Completing the row were 34 minor tombs for retainers who had followed their master into the next world. I they were sacrificed or buried over after their natural death, is not known. This strongly indicates that Aha had a supreme and probably divine power, a heritage that should become the distinctive mark for the Egyptian state in the time to come.
The first chamber was the burial place of the king himself and there was found written text of a cargo freight to the Delta with offering goods to a shrine, all carved in to a tiny little label of wood. The second chamber is believed to belong to his queen named Bernerib (meaning "Sweet of Hearts"). Her name was found in some side burials probably belonging to her servants. This means that the complex was extended over time and investigations from the 1990s confirms that many royal tombs at Abydos was altered several times.
Aha is a strong candidate to be the legendary king Menes - the unifier and first king of Egypt. Another strong candidate is his supposed father Narmer, who lacks monuments from the capital Memphis but is recorded as the founder by the Egyptians themselves.
Artifacts
Naqada Label
Monuments
Djer (Itit)
Titulary
Horus Name: Hr Dr, Horus Djer, unknown meaning
Kinglists: iti identifed as the third king of the kinglists
Manetho: afrcanus – Kenkenes eusebius – kenkenes, cencenes
Alternative names: Horus-Djer, Athothis II
Nomen: Itit
Prenomen: Djer
Manetho Africanus: Kenkenes
Abydos List: Ateth
Turin Canon: no listed
Dates
Manetho 31 years
Piccione 3016—2970
Succession
predecessor father Menes
successor son Djet (Uadj) or possibly consort or daughter Merneith
Persons
father Menes
wife/consort Merneith buried in Saqqara #3507
Buildling
tomb at abydos (tomb o) contains 300 subsidiary burials, just weest of Aha; made of brick 70 x 40 meters.