Narmer
| Also known as: Menes | Dynasty I |
King Menes is credited with uniting the Two Lands and was thus the first pharaoh of the Kingdom of Egypt according to New Kingdom king lists. They name Meni as the first king, and drawing from the same sources, Africanus and Eusebius name him Menes, while Herodotus calls him Min. This conforms well with the name Menes.
There is no contemporary archaeological evidence containing the cartouche name of Menes, as the use of cartouches did not begin until the time of the Old Kingdom.
In the king lists of the New Kingdom, the nebty names were placed into cartouches because the scribes were unable to recognize or locate the corresponding names from the ancient sources. Fittingly, Meni means : He who endures.
The contemporary Horus name of the first king, Narmer, is well attested. It is firmly established that he indeed was the first ruler of the kingdom. The early kings were only known by their Horus name, and there is no evidence that Narmer used any other.
| Reign of Narmer | |
|---|---|
| AE Chronology | c. 2900 |
| Grimal | 3150–3125 |
| Manetho (Africanus) | 62 years |
| Manetho (Eusebius) | 30 years |
The Royal Titulary
From the hieroglyphic records
Petrie, Royal Tombs, II, plate II (3)
Beckerath, Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen (1999), 36-37, x+4:H1
Beckerath, Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen (1999), 36-37, x+4:H4
Petrie, Royal Tombs, II, plate XIII (91,92)
Beckerath, Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen (1999), 36-37, x+4:H3
Cairo Museum JE 31773 (CG 14142)
Garstang, (1905). "The tablet of Mena" in ZÄS , 42, 61-64
Edwards, Cambridge Ancient History, 11
Mariette, Abydos, I, plate 43 (1)
Beckerath, Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen (1999), 38-39, 1:E1
Gardiner, The Royal Canon of Turin (1959), II:10
Gardiner, The Royal Canon of Turin (1959), II:11
Beckerath, Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen (1999), 38-39, 1:E2
Lepsius, Denkmäler aus Ägypten und Äthiopien (1849), III, 163
The sources of antiquity
From the writings of the historians and scholars of antiquity
| Author | Greek | Transliteration | Transcription | Reign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africanus i, 1 | Μηνης | Menes | Minis | 62 years |
| Eusebius i, 1 | Μηνης | Menes | Menes | 30 years |
| Herodotus 99.2 | Μινα | Mina | Mina | |
| Diodorus 1.45.1/3 | Μηναν / Μηνα | Menan / Mena | Menan / Mena | |
| Eratosthenes 1 | Μηνης | Menes | Menes | 62 years |
Bibliography
Beckerath, J. Handbuch der Ägyptischen Königsnamen, MÄS 49 (1999): 36–37
Baker. D. D. The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume I – Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty 3300–1069 BC (London, 2008), 237–240
Gauthier, H. Le livre des rois d'Égypte. MIFAO 17 (1907): 1–3; 17–19
Leprohon, R. J. The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary (Atlanta, 2013), 22
The full titulary was announced at the coronation, when a pharaoh officially became king.
Horus name
The oldest form of a pharaoh's name, often enclosed in a serekh, a sort of "heraldic crest" representing a palace facade.
Nebty name
The "Two Ladies", the heraldic goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet, representing Upper and Lower Egypt respectively.
Golden Horus name
Gold was strongly associated with eternity, but the meaning of this title is disputed.
Throne name
(prenomen) Announced at the coronation, and written in a cartouche.
Personal name
(nomen) The name given at birth, also written in a cartouche.
- Turin king list
223 kings – Dynasty 19 - Abydos Canon
76 kings – Dynasty 19 - Saqqara Canon
58 kings – Dynasty 19 - Karnak Canon
61 kings – Dynasty 18 - Comparing the canons
Abydos, Saqqara and Karnak - Ramesseum Canon
Ramesses II Mortuary Temple - Medinet Habu Canon
Ramesses III Mortuary Temple
Ancient historians
- Herodotus
450 BC – Histories - Manetho
250 BC – Aegyptiaca - Diodorus
50 BC – Bibliotheca Historica - Josephus
100 CE – Against Apion - Africanus
220 CE – Chronographai - Eusebius
325 CE – Chronicon - Jerome
380 CE – Chronicon - Syncellus
800 CE – Egloga Chronographai - Eratosthenes
Probably a forgery (date unknown) - Comparing the sources
Transmission of Manetho
by Africanus et. al.
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