13-3-3 Menes

Who was Menes?

Traditionally, Menes was considered the first king of Egypt, although who he was or even if he existed at all remains a matter of controversy. This paper takes a comprehensive look at three questions: (1) Given that Menes is not mentioned in a clearly royal context until the New Kingdom, did he really exist? (2) Why was Menes considered the first king of Egypt ? (3) If Menes did exist, who was he: Narmer or Aha ? To address these issues, three different approaches are used.

First, we examine the documentary and archaeological evidence associated with the two fundamental achievements attributed to Menes—the unification of Egypt, and the founding of Memphis—and attempt to determine which known king(s) can be linked to them. Second, we review two documents—the Naqada Label and the Narmer/Mn (Prince’s) Seal—that may link Narmer or Aha with the name of Menes. Finally, we examine three documents—the Palermo Stone and two sealings from the Abydos necropolis—that provide evidence as to which known king is most likely to be the first king of the 1st Dynasty and thus the legendary “Menes”