Narmer

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 Sacrifice as part of the royal funerary rituals.  Human sacrifice ensured the Pharaohs had servants in the Afterlife.

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