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the early
dynastic period
At the end of the 4th millennium BC, Egyptian civilisation
entered the historical record. Prior to this time, there had been the
Predynastic Period, divided into various periods: The Badarian culture, with the
earliest attested agriculture in Upper Egypt, and the Naqada culture, itself
divided into the different phases of Naqada I (Amratian), Naqada II (Gerzean)
and Naqada III.
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It was probably during the Naqada III phase, the last phase of
the predynastic period, (c.3200-3000 BC) that Egypt was first unified into a
large territorial state.
The political fusion that laid the foundations for the
Early Dynastic state of the 1st and 2nd Dynasties would have probably occurred
at around this time. |
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There is in fact, evidence to suggest that there is a
dynasty of kings which pre-dates the 1st Dynasty, now referred to as Dynasty 0.
They were buried at Abydos, near the royal cemetery of the 1st Dynasty. There is
considerable debate however to the precise nature of the process of unification,
the date it took place, and the origins of Dynasty 0. |
Egyptian civilisation begins, according to
Manetho, with the
Unification of the Two Lands, Upper and Lower Egypt, under one king,
traditionally known as Menes or Narmer (who may be the same person?). There also
appears to be a king called Scorpion; together with Menes/Narmer, he is
currently grouped in Dynasty 0.
Before the 4th Dynasty, pharaoh was usually
known simply by his Horus Name. The name would be written in a "serekh"
panel, with the Horus falcon standing on top. The first known "serekh"
appears on the Narmer Palette.
Early dynastic
pharaohs:
| DYNASTY
0 |
DYNASTY
1 |
DYNASTY
2 |
| Scorpion:
named after the "Scorpion Macehead" which depicts King Scorpion
as ruler of Upper Egypt. Little known. |
Hor-Aha:
Horus name meaning "the fighting hawk". Narmer's successor. His
greatest achievement was the founding of the capital city at Memphis. |
Hotepsekhemwy:
Horus name meaning "pleasing in powers". Little known. According
to Manetho, he reigned for 38 years, but there is little to show for it. |
| Narmer: Horus
name meaning "striking catfish". Identified on the "Narmer
Palette" and the "Narmer Macehead". Narmer is shown wearing
the red and white crowns with his name in a serekh (pre-cartouche) |
Djer: Horus
name meaning "Horus who succours". He succeeded Hor-Aha, and is
said to have reigned for 57 years. His tomb at Abydos contains over 300
subsidiary burials of servants and retainers. |
Raneb: Horus
name meaning "Re is the Lord". According to Manetho, he reigned
for 38 years and introduced the worship of the sacred goat Mendes and the
sacred bull Mnevis. |
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Rear side of the
Narmer Palette, shows Narmer wearing the white crown and striking down a
foe. |
Djet: Horus
name meaning "Horus cobra". Buried in a tomb at Abydos which
also contained 174 individual subsidiary sacrificial burials. |
Nynetjer:
Horus name meaning "god-like". According to Manetho, he reigned
for 47 years, during which little happened! |
| Den: Horus
name meaning "Horus who strikes". Historical record becomes
clearer, with many labels and inscriptions which cite this king and his
reign. Buried at Abydos, his tomb also contains 174 subsidiary sacrificial
burials. |
Sekhemib/Seth-Peribsen:
Horus name meaning "powerful in heart", he then changed to a
Seth name meaning "hope of all hearts". North-south rivalry led
to a period of unrest, symbolised by the struggles of Horus v Seth. In
this case it appears the followers of Seth triumphed. |
| Anedjib:
Horus name meaning "safe is his heart". Reigned for 26 years
according to Manetho. He is recorded as a Thinnite king on the Saqqara
King List. His tomb at Abydos is one of the smallest, and contained 64
subsidiary burials. |
Khasekhemwy:
Horus name meaning "the two powerful ones appear". He appears to
be the last king of the dynasty, and managed to re-unite the followers of
Horus and Seth. His huge tomb at Abydos is unique. |
| Semerkhet:
Horus name meaning "thoughtful friend". Reigned for 9 years
according to the Palermo stone, or 18 years according to Manetho!
Possibility he was an usurper as he erased Anedjib's name from many stone
vases. |
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Qa'a: Horus
name meaning "his arm is raised". May have reigned for 26 years?
The practice of subsidiary burials appears to have stopped in the North
during his reign. |
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The royal tombs at Abydos and
Saqqara
Each of the Early Dynastic tombs in the Royal
Cemetery of Abydos was originally provided with a pair of carved stone funerary
stelae, resembling tombstones.
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The stelae would usually bear a hieroglyph called
a "serekh" which represented the Horus name of the ruler. As well as
the tombs at Abydos, there are some impressive tombs of high officials at North
Saqqara. Some of these are very substantial, with elaborately niched mudbrick
superstructures, and they are on the whole better preserved than the Abydos
tombs. |
| The Saqqara tombs show the early development
of the tomb superstructure above ground, combined with an underground burial
chamber. In the course of time, the design of these Saqqara tombs became even
more elaborate, with a more complex arrangement of chambers. Unusual stepped
mudbrick superstructures may also have been the early forerunners of the 3rd
Dynasty Step Pyramids. |
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Moving towards the "Old
Kingdom" ...
The art, architecture and associated beliefs
of the Old Kingdom unmistakably evolved from forms of the Early Dynastic period.
The Step Pyramid complex of Djoser is a transformation of the Early Dynastic
tombs into the world's first colossal scale monument made entirely of stone.
This enormous monument clearly demonstrates the considerable level of control
that the state had at this time, and it is this control which must have
developed incrementally throughout the 1st and 2nd Dynasties following
unification.
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Related pages: You can also
read comprehensive articles on the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom Periods in our
"articles" page in the main site. |
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