Menes

(noun)

An ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period, credited by classical tradition with having united Upper and Lower Egypt, and as the founder of the first dynasty (Dynasty I).

Related Terms

Examples of Menes in the following topics:

  • Egyptian Pharaohs as God-Kings

    • According to Manetho, the first king of the unified Upper and Lower Egypt was Menes (who is now identified with Narmer).
    • Consequently, the current consensus is that "Menes" and "Narmer" refer to the same person.
    • Alternative theories hold that Narmer was the final king of the Protodynastic Period and Hor-Aha is to be identified with Menes.
    • The 3rd-century BCE Egyptian priest Manetho grouped the long line of pharaohs from Menes to his own time into 30 dynasties, a system still used today.
    • The transition to a unified state actually happened more gradually than ancient Egyptian writers would have us believe, and there is no contemporary record of Menes.

  • The Rise of Egyptian Civilization

    • The prehistory of Egypt spans from early human settlements to the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt (c. 3100 BCE), which started with the first Pharoah Narmer (also known as Menes).

  • The New Kingdom

    • Menes eventually founded the Twenty-first Dynasty at Tanis.

  • Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Art

    • The Prehistory of Egypt spans the period of earliest human settlement to the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt in ca. 3100 BCE, beginning with King Menes/Narmer.