Menes
From Warpedia
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Political information | |
Title: |
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Predecessor: |
Unknown |
Successor: |
Hor-Aha (uncertain) |
Reign: |
According to Manetho, 62 years |
Dynasty: |
First Dynasty of Egypt (uncertain) |
State: |
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Known for: |
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Personal details | |
Death: |
Apparently killed by a hippopotamus |
Menes was a pharaoh of Egypt that existed during the protodynastic and Early Dynastic periods. According to classical tradition, he is credited as having unified Upper and Lower Egypt into one state, and founding the First Dynasty, as well as becoming the first Pharaoh of this new state. However, other historical records attribute all of these features to Narmer, which go on further to describe a military campaign to unite the two Egypts, whereas no such campaign is mentioned in accordance with Menes.
As such, the identity of Menes has become a topic of much debate among Egyptologists, although many have come to the conclusion that he is either Narmer or (more likely), Narmer's successor, Hor-Aha. It's also possible Menes is a lost second pharaoh, between the reigns of Narmer and Hor-Aha. Its also possible that Menes is entirely fictitious, or a characterized version of Narmer or Hor-Aha. It's also possible he was the unnamed final pharaoh of Lower Egypt.