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Ancient Egyptians - Narmer |
Profile of Pharaoh Narmer Profile of Narmer History Time Period: The Early Dynastic Period Dynasty: 1st DynastyPredecessor: King Scorpion also refer to Menes Parents: UnknownDates of his Reign: Exact dates unknown - 31st century BC Foremost of Women: Queen NeithhotepSuccessor: King Hor-Aha King Narmer Ancient Egyptian King - Narmer Fact Sheet Fact 1 on Narmer: Name: This pharaoh of ancient Egypt is also associated with the legendary name of Menes. The identity of King Narmer is the subject of ongoing debate and some of the events for which he is credited have also been associated with his son, Hor-Aha, and the mysterious Menes. His Horus name is Iry Hor-Ka-Narmer. Fact 2 on Narmer: The Horus name was usually written in a serekh. The name of the king being written in hieroglyphs inside a representation of a palace. The serekh was the earliest convention used to set apart the royal name in ancient Egyptian iconography, before the cartouche was used. His name is attested in important artefacts and the graffiti around Hierakonpolis, Wadi Qash and Coptos. Additional listings of kings were recently found in two necropolis sealings in the tombs of Den and Qa'a in Abydos. The sealings show Narmer as the founder of the First Dynasty, who was then followed by Hor-Aha. Fact 3 on Narmer: History: He ruled as the king of Egypt during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the Early Dynastic Period and was believed by many to be the king and founder of the 1st dynasty of the kings of Egypt. Fact 4 on Narmer: Family: The name of his parents is not recorded however the previous Thinite kings were recorded as Ka and Scorpion so it is possible that one of these rulers of Upper Egypt was his father. Fact 5 on Narmer: Prior to the 1st dynasty Egypt was divided into two lands. Lower Egypt = Nile Delta region of the north and Upper Egypt = Nile Valley region of the south. The family of Narmer was believed to have come from the south of the country in Hierakonpolis a center of ancient leaders and one of the strongest predynastic regional states. Another power base was the city of Thinis. Both were located in Upper Egypt (see map below). Fact 6 on Narmer: Narmer was involved in the disputes and campaigns aimed at Upper Egypt. He was eventually victorious as 'the conqueror of lands and the master of his vanquished enemies'. Fact 7 on Narmer: The Narmer Palette was found at Hierakonpolis and depicts the unification of the two lands of Upper and Lower Egypt and the king is represented wearing both Egyptian crowns - see image below. Fact 8 on Narmer: The pictures engraved on the palette depict the events that led to the unification of Egypt and how King Narmer vanquished his enemies. On the front of the artefact the king is shown wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt, and in the front he wears the the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, clearing indicating he is the ruler of both the lands and therefore initiating the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Deshret Crown of Lower Egypt
Hedjet Crown of Upper Egypt Fact 9 on Narmer: The palette also depicts ceremonial of sacrifice of the defeated. Fact 10 on Narmer: During this period in ancient Egyptian history religious ceremonies included the practise of Human Sacrificeas part of the royal funerary rituals. Human sacrifice ensured the Pharaohshad servants in the Afterlife. continued... Ancient Egyptian King - Narmer Fact Sheet
Pharaoh Narmer King Narmer Ancient Egyptian King - Narmer Fact Sheet Fact 11 on Narmer: The conflicts between the two lands continued and the first warrior kings of the dynasty persisted with their military campaigns aimed at the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. The unification of ancient Egypt was not completed until the end of the 2nd dynasty. Fact 12 on Narmer: Family: He married Neithhotep, whose status and title was the "Foremost of Women". This was primarily a political marriage. Neithhotep was a princess of the Nile Delta region of Lower Egypt and this marriage to Narmer sealed the alliance as he was the Thinite king of Upper Egypt. Fact 13 on Narmer: Queen Neithhotep gave birth to the heir to the throne who was called Hor-Aha. Fact 14 on Narmer: The first king was known to initiate an expedition into the eastern desert. He was therefore ambitious to extend the territories of Egypt and exploit the trade opportunities and natural resources of neighboring countries. He also initiated trade expeditions in the northern country of Canaan. Fact 15 on Narmer: He founded the Northern capital Memphis and its development and buildings were completed by his son Hor-Aha when he succeeded his father to the throne. Fact 16 on Narmer: Large tombs and temples to the gods were built at Abydos, Naqada and Saqqara during the 1st dynasty. The development of new astronomical instruments during this time had a significant effect on the culture and religion of the ancient Egyptians. Fact 17 on Narmer: Administration via a central government was initiated and further skills were developed in writing, art and architecture. Fact 18 on Narmer: Queen Neithhotep was buried at Naqada and the tomb of king was located at Abydos the traditional burial complex of ancient Egyptian rulers. Fact 19 on Narmer: The king was succeeded by his son Hor-Aha who continued with the work that had been started by his father. Ancient Egyptian King - Narmer Fact Sheet King Narmer and the 1st Dynasty Narmer Narmer | ||||
