First Dynasty - 3100 - 2890 BC



Menes, Mena, Meni, Min, Aha - The Fighting Hawk



Menes is one of the archaic Egyptian kings bearing the name Scorpion. Some sources say he was the son of Narmer while others say he was Narmer. There is no tangible proof either way. Menes was the founding king of the 1st Dynasty, and was considered to be the first king to unify Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. Whether unification was achieved by military or peaceful means is uncertain, though many suspect it was by war and administrative measures.

Menes founded the city of Memphis, near modern day Cairo. He chose as its location an island in the Nile, so that it would be easy to defend. He was also the founder of Crocodopolis where he and built the first temple to the god Ptah. 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. He sent ambassadors to Canaan and Byblos in Phoenicia to establish peaceful commercial trade links.

According to Manetho, Menes was killed by a hippopotamus or by crocodiles after a 62 year reign. His was buried at Saqqara, the necropolis of Memphis. Excavations at Saqqara, the cemetery for Memphis, have revealed that the earliest royal tomb located there belongs to the reign of Menes. His wife Neithotep became regent until his son Djer, was old enough to reign.



Djer - Horus who Succours

Djer was the second king of the first Dynasty, when the crown still resided at Memphis. He was the son of Menes and one of his lesser ranked wives, a woman named Hent. Heiroglyphs on Ivory and wood labels from Abydos and Saqqara say he reigned for 57 years. He launched a successful military campaign to fight the Hekssus in Sinai. His name was found in an inscription on the Wadi Halfa, south of the first Cataract, proving the boundaries of his reign. Djer's wife was Queen Herneith. He was buried in a mortuary complex which is called the 'True Grave of the God Osiris'.



Wadj - King Djet - Horus Cobra


Horus (hawk) name of Wadj
snake over palace facade

Wadj was the third king of the first Dynasty. His stela is displayed at the Louvre in Paris. It is made of limestone carved by the sculptor Serekh. The stela was discovered near the ancient city of Abydos where Wadj's mortuary complex is located. The only other place that Egyptologists found a reference to him was in an inscription near the city of Edfu, to the south of Egypt.


His wife was Queen Mereneith, who acted as mentor and advisor for his son and successor, King Den. Queen Merenith ruled Egypt as regent when Den became king as a child. This essentially meant that she ruled Egypt until he was capable of doing so himself.There are, many scholars who think that Merenith was a ruler in her own right. Stone vessels and sealings bearing her name were found at Saqqara, as was a stela with her name written inan archaic form with crossed arrows signifying the name of Neith. Merenith has two burial sites, one at Abydos and one at Saqqara (Mastaba 3503). The Saqqara tomb contains some artifacts that show the the name of a high court official called Seshemka. The Abydos burial complex is amongst those of the kings of her dynasty. A stela had her name blended with royal emblems, as did her coffin.



Den - Horus who Strikes

Den ruled Egypt for almost fifty years after Wadj. He was an energetic and athletic person, and was artistic as well. He conducted military campaigns in the Sinai desert in order to gain control of the mineral deposits there. He was buried at Saqqara, even though he built his mortuary complex in Abydos. The cult of Apis was introduced during his reign. He figures in the Ebers papyrus as well as the Berlin medical Papyrus. Den was militarily actibe in the Sinai, which was justified by his interest in protecting the mineral resources of the peninsula. His mortuary complex was built in the ancient city of Abydos, but his body was buried at Saqqara.



Anedjib - Safe is his Heart

Anedjib was the fifth king during the 1st dynasty. He kept Memphis as his capitol city throughout his 14 years of rule. Anedjib's crown carried the symbols of both Upper and Lower Egypt, a representation of the unification of the country under his power. Historians, however, doubt that Anedjib really controlled the north, due to the fact that the northern Nomes rebelled against him constantly throughout his reign. His wife, Queen Betrest, was the mother of King Semerkhet, who was his successor. The queen provided Anedjib with legitimacy and power since she was a descendant from the Memphite royal line. Order broke down during his reign when conflicting factions caused changes that would end this great dynasty. The practice of subsidiary burial where retainers were killed in order to serve the ruler in the afterlife ceased after the reign of Qa'a.



Semerkhet

Semerkhet was the sixth king of the 1st Dynasty. He was the son of King Anedjib and Queen Betrest, and for unknown reasons, only ruled for nine years. He is thought by some to have been a usurper.

According to Manetho disasters occurred during his reign. He may have caused the unrest during Anendjib's reign. He is responsible for erasing Anendjib's name from stone vases. A little black stela bearing his name is the only direct evidence found.



Qa'a - His Arm is Raised

Qa'a is the last king of the first Dynasty. He is mentioned on jar sealings and two damaged stela. One one of these stela he is shown wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt and being embraced by the God Horus. According to Manetho he reigned for about 26 years. He was buried at Abydos in the tomb designated Tomb Q. A German archaeological expedition in 1993 re-excavated the tomb and discovered that several alterations had been made in the tomb.





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