narmer unified egypt and became the first pharaoh.
narmer unified egypt and became the first pharaoh.
who unified egypt and became the first pharaoh?
narmer
there has been some controversy about hor-aha. some believe him to be the same individual as the legendary menes and that he was the one to unify all of egypt. others claim he was the son of narmer, the pharaoh who unified egypt. narmer and menes may have been one pharaoh, referred to with more than one name. regardless, considerable historical evidence from the period points to narmer as the pharaoh who first unified egypt ("see narmer palette") and to hor-aha as his son and heir.









































section::::reign.









































section::::reign.:successor to narmer.
hor-aha
the early dynastic period of egypt immediately followed the unification of upper and lower egypt. it is generally taken to include the first and second dynasties, lasting from the naqada iii archaeological period until about the beginning of the old kingdom, c. 2686 bc. with the first dynasty, the capital moved from thinis to memphis with a unified egypt ruled by a god-king. the hallmarks of ancient egyptian civilization, such as art, architecture and many aspects of religion, took shape during the early dynastic period. the strong institution of kingship developed by the pharaohs served to legitimize state control over the land, labour, and resources that were essential to the survival and growth of ancient egyptian civilization. major advances in architecture, art, and technology were made during the subsequent old kingdom, fueled by the increased agricultural productivity and resulting population, made possible by a well-developed central administration. some of ancient egypt's crowning achievements, the giza pyramids and great sphinx, were constructed during the old kingdom. under the direction of the vizier, state officials collected taxes, coordinated irrigation projects to improve crop yield, drafted peasants to work on construction projects, and established a justice system to maintain peace and order. along with the rising importance of a central administration there arose a new class of educated scribes and officials who were granted estates by the pharaoh in payment for their services. pharaohs also made land grants to their mortuary cults and local temples, to ensure that these institutions had the resources to worship the pharaoh after his death. scholars believe that five centuries of these practices slowly eroded the economic power of the pharaoh, and that the economy could no longer afford to support a large centralized administration. as the power of the pharaoh diminished, regional governors called nomarchs began to challenge the supremacy of the pharaoh. this, coupled with severe droughts between 2200 and 2150 bc, is assumed to have caused the country to enter the 140-year period of famine and strife known as the first intermediate period.
cradle of civilization