Ian Nottingham
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posted 07-23-2006 01:13 AM
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The First Kings
Associated to Place: AncientWorlds > Egypt > Upper: Great Land > Abedjou - (Abydos) > articles -- by * Mirjam Nebet (33 Articles), General Article
This is by no means an exhaustive run-through of these early kings. It is just meant as a brief asset to understanding Abedjou and its context, and only takes up what is most significant or important about these rulers. It is only a quick rundown of the first dynasties '0', 1, and 2.
Dynasty '0'
Narmer
The Unifier of Egypt?
Scorpion, Narmer, Menes, Aha. Three names circulate when trying to decide who was the uniter of the Two Lands into one country at the beginning of the state formation of ancient Eypt. Our sources are the fragmented the Narmer ceremonial palette, the Narmer macehead and the 'Scorpion' macehead, all three from the 'Main Deposit', Hierakonpolis, the writings of Manetho and Herodotus. We are here in the chronological borderland of a probable '0' Dynasty and the First Dynasty of rulers of ancient Egypt, at ca 3100 BC.
Hierakonpolis/Nekhen and the 'Main Deposit'
When J.E. Quibell excavated here in 1897-98 some finds were made in a pit called the 'Main Deposit', located between the walls of an Old Kingdom and a Middle Kingdom temple. The objects were sculpted palettes and maceheads which proved to be of great importance for the understanding of Early Dynastic Period. They are referred to as the Scorpion Macehead, the Narmer Palette and the Narmer Macehead. Unfortunately for researchers of today, these finds were not adequately recorded as to 'in-situ' references.
Narmer
Narmer is dated to c. 3100 bc and believed for good reasons to be the first ruler who unified Upper and Lower Egypt. He is thought to be buried in tomb B17-18 at Umm el-Qa´a, Abedjou. His spouse was probably one Queen Nithotep, buried at Naqada and their son Hor-Aha became the second ruler of Dynasty 1.
The name of Narmer is known from the Narmer Palette and the Narmer Macehead, both from the 'Main Deposit' at Nekhen (Gr: Hierakonpolis) where it appears in the form of the hieroglyphic sign which mean 'Catfish' n`r in later periods, and for 'chisel' m`r. These signs are conventionally read by egyptologists as narmer but could also be read narmeru or merunar. The name has been found registered in various forms on stone vessels and serehks from places around both Upper and Lower Egypt and even out in the western desert. Here is an overview of the various ways the Horus-name of Narmer is presented.
It has been debated wether Narmer was the last king of Dynasty 0 or the first king of Dynasty I and if he preceeded or was contemporary with 'Scorpion' or even the same person. It is also questioned if he is the same as Manetho´s Menes or perhaps even the ruler Aha. What is perhaps most important to look at in this problematic chronology is that the reign of Narmer came before Den and Qa´a, we must also remember that dynasties as such did not come around until over two thousand years later. Apparently Den and Qa´a seem to have themselves placed Narmer as their predecessor and founder at least when it comes to the royal burial grounds at Abedjou. In this context it has to be said that Narmer is sofar unattested by monuments at the Saqqara necropolis though he is much more attested than his predecessors in other archaeological material.
'Scorpion'
The name comes from the so called 'Scorpion Macehead' found at the Main Deposit. It is a rounded piece of decorated limestone, originally in the form of a macehead.
Noteworthy is also that at Abedjou there are no signs of a king 'Scorpion' though the tomb B50 with four chambers has been suggested as his burying place. The question then remains if he were partly a contemporary of Narmer and belonging to a royal house at Hierakonpolis rather than with the Thinite dynasty.
The problem is nowhere near solved as there also exists inscriptions and seal-impressions which seem to speak to the contrary. However, the Scorpion macehead remains the best evidence for the existence of an early king of this name.
Menes - or Aha?
The Egyptian historian and priest Manetho (c 305-285 bc) from Sebennytos in Lower Egypt, puts Menes as the founder and unifier of the Egyptian state. But there are uncertainties wether to identify Menes with Narmer or with Aha for various reasons.
A few words are therefore in place here about Aha: It is nowadays evidenced that Aha was the successor of Narmer. This since a seal impression from Umm el-Qa´ab from 1985 lists the first six rulers in this order: Narmer, Aha, Djer, Djet, Den and Merneith. Therefore Narmer is put as possibly the father of Aha and in any case his predecessor. This sets aside the belief by some scholars that Aha was identified with the mythical Menes, instead it is said that Menes could have been a name or a title for either of them, and then possibly the nebti name. Certainly there is the possibility that Menes (mn) meaning 'established' is a title rather than a name as it appears alternatingly with Narmer´s on seals from Abedjou. The form of Menes could be a Greek Period interpretation of mn.
Latest finds on Aha.
Another uncertainty about Menes/Narmer is the fact that the kings from the Pre- and Early Dynastic Period were mostly known by their official royal Horus name. With the Old Kingdom, the royal titulary changed and the king lists, which are all of a later date, are inscribed with their birth names (nomen and prenomen) while monuments show only the Horus names so confusions are prone to occur.
Of Manetho´s mythical Menes we know almost nothing more than the name. Even if he was credited by Herodotos, the Greek traveller and historian from Halicarnassos (c.484-c.420bc) as having dammed the Nile south of the future location of MenNefer (Memphis)there are no evidences. True, the city was founded during the reign of Aha but if recent dicsoveries are to be believed, Aha is the one to be credited with the foundation, not Menes.
It looks as if Narmer, as indicated by the Narmer Palette and Macehead, and by the vast and well-spread amount of sherds and ivory fragments was a ruler with interests far beyond the Nile valley, into the Eastern deserts and Israel. It does not seem impossible that he was uniter of Upper and Lower Egypt but if he was identical with Menes and if he had a predecessor by name of 'Scorpion', or was identical with this one, future finds and research will have to show.
~~~
Dynasty 1:
Hor-Aha
The name might also be 'Aha'. He was the successor of Narmer and therefore likely to be his son, perhaps then Neithotep was his mother. He took the nebti, the 'Two Ladies' name (the second name in the Royal titulary indicating the tutelary deities Wadjet and Nekhbet) name of Menes, which means 'established'. It might be due to this that the origin of the mythical first king 'Menes' arose. He ruled for 62 years according to Manetho.
Evidence from small labels in early Dynastic tombs indicate that his was a reign of some struggle, with campaigns to be fought and rebels to subdue. If Narmer was the uniter of the Two Lands, then Hor-Aha had to defend the position.
He made a noteworthy foundation to last through Egyptian history; the city of Memphis. The location was probably chosen as important for keeping the two newly united lands together, rather than anything else; a dam had, according to Herodotos, to be built and the Nile averted, for the city to be founded.
Another foundation was made by Hor-Aha, a temple to Neith at Sais, which points at the war goddess´ importance during unruly times. The worship of Neith would last into Roman days.
Djer
Djer is believed to have ruled for 57 years, and around his tomb at Abydos there are over 300 sacrificial burials (sattelite burials). This practice was soon abandoned as apparently the waste of people was too great. Instead ushabti figurines were provided in the tombs.
According to ivory and wood labels from Abydos and Saqqara, military campaigns were still the practice during Djer´s time, and there are some signs of religious rituals involving human sacrifice.
Djet - or Merneith?
Usually Djer´s successor is said to be Djet but there are indications of the 'King´s Mother', i.e. Merneith, to have ruled either alone for a period between them, or functioned as ruler for a very young king. Noteworthy is Djet´s stone stele with a remarkably elegant relief, showing his Horus name above a serekh with a serpent on top of a palace facade. As several of these early kings, Djer had a tomb at Saqqara and one at Abydos, both with satelite burials. Other details of his rule are sofar non-existent.
Den
The next ruler, Den, who probably ruled for some 20 years, is better known from inscriptions on stone vases and labels. Crossdating involving the Palermo Stone and an inscribed stone vase from Saqqara give us Den and the three remaining rulers from the 1st Dynasty. There is also an interesting ivlory label from Abydos showing Den striking an enemy with a club in his raised arm, in the very same posture which would represent pharaohs during the rest of Egyptian history. The inscriptions tells: "The first time of the smiting of the east". Also Djer had a tomb at Saqqara and at Abydos, both witih satellite burials.
Anedjib
During Anedjib´s 26 year long reign there was apparently some unrest between north and south. There are some signs that he was of the so called 'Thinite' dynasty. His tomb at Abydos is small and of poor quality as are the satellite burials, and his name which was inscribed on many stone vases, were erased during the time of his follower, Semerkhet, which points at some powerstruggle.
Semerkhet
His reign was not more than nine years if the Palermo Stone is to be believed, but Manetho records it as 18 years long. As Semerkhet erased his predecessor´s name from stone vases, he was possibly an usurper, and in his turn his name ws omitted from the Saqqara King List. It´s interesting to note, that while Anedjib´s tomb at Abydos was poor, Semerkhet+s was large and wellbuilt.
Qa´a Qa´a is the last ruler of the 1st Dynasty. His tomb at Abydos, from the beginning a simple brick-lined burial chamber, had gone through several alterations and enlargements. During his reign, the practice of sacrifical burials seem to have stopped, at least in the north though some still occurred in the south.
~~~
Dynasty 2:
The three first rulers, Hotepsekhemwy, Raneb and NyNetjer, are know to us from an inscription at the back of a statue of the priest Hotep-dif from the 3rd Dynasty, who apparently took care of the cult of these three kings.
Hotepsekhemwy
His name means 'Pleasing in Powers' but his tomb has not been found and little is known about him. According to Manetho he reigned for 38 years but there are no remains left from it. Apart from the above-mentioned statue of Hotep-dif, some sealings with his name found att Saqqara near the pyramid of Unas might indicate that his tomb there is yet to be found, but this is all there is sofar.
Raneb
Not much more rermains from the supposedly 39 years long reign of Raneb. His name within the serekh on a stele is found at Abydos and apart from that, likewise a few sealings found at Saqqara in the same area as his predecessor, are the only tell-tale signs of his existence. Though Manetho ascribes the responsibility for Ranbe having started the cult of the sacred goat of Mendes and the sacred bull of Mnevis as well as the sacred bull of Heliopolis, scholars now have found that at least the cult fo the sacred bull is attested to on a stele from the time of Den.
Nynetjer
This king seemed to have ruled for 47 years according to Manetho. Records on the Palermo Stone tells of various events like: 'the hacking up of the city of Shem-Re', 'running of the Apis bull', and the birth of Khasekhemwy, the last king to be of the 2nd dynasty. According to Manetho, it was decided that women could also occupied the throne, but if indications are to be believed, so had already happened with Merneith in the 1st Dynasty.
Seth-Peribsen
This king came to the throne with the name of Sekhem-ib and ruled for 17 years before hi changed his name to Seth-Peribsen. During this period, the struggle betewwen the norht and the south became actualized and after a time of internal unrest, Sekhemib must have decided that it was important to incorporate the god Seth into his name. He accordingly changed his serekh, which had been surmounted by the Horus falcon, into one with the Seth animal above it. Perhaps it indicates that the followers of Seth were victorious. It is suggested that the power struggle between north and south was patterned to some degreee after the mythological struggle between the deities Horus and Seth.
Between Peribsen and Khasekhemwy, Manetho inserts three kings; Sendji, Neterka and Neferkara, who should have reigned for 41, 17 and 25 years, but evidence for their existence is negligible and there are no archaeological remains.
Khasekhemwy
Khasekhemwy was probably of a diplomatic character since he managed to incorporate both the name of Horus and the name of Seth into his serekh. He seems to have managed to throw back a number of rebellions and secure the unification of the two lands once more. There are those who maintain that he had a predecessor with the name of Khasekhem whihle others hold that it is one and the same person, ruling for 30 years and changing his name to Khasekhemwy which means 'The Two Powerful Ones Appear' and with both the Horus falcon and the Seth animal depicted in his serekh.
The war between north and south is glimpsed through an insrciption on a stone vase: 'The year of fighting the norhtern enemy within the city of Nekheb and a depiction of its patron deity, the vulture goddess Nekhbeth. For the northerners to have reached so far south from the Delta, the war must have been quite serious. From Nekhen (Hierakonpolis) comes two seated statues of Khasekhemwy, aroundd which bases the number of northernes killed are give to be 47.209. The king is wearing the White Crown, indicating the victory of the south.
It seems he was married to a northern princess, Nemaathap, in a political effort to consolidate the unification and the relations between norht and south. As Khasekhemwy became the last king of the 2nd dynasty, she was later considered the ancestress of the 3rd Ddynasty and the title givenher was 'King-bearing Mother'.
Khasekhemwy´s tomb at Abydos is an immense structure with a central burial chamber. Here his sceptre of gold and sard, and a number of small stone pots with goldleaf lids still remained. Some 1000 yards out in the dessert from the tomb is a large rectangular structure, the Shunet-el-Zebib. Walls of up to 5 m height, with a palace facade appearance, have survived for nearly 5000 years but if the purpose of the structure was for provisions of the king´s 'ka' or a fortress, is not yet clear.
Sources:
Early Dynastic Egypt - Toby A. Wilkinson
What is Really Known about the Narmer Palette - Jacques Kinnaer, article in KMT #1 2004.
Chronicles of the Pharaohs - Peter A. Clayton
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