King Narmer: The First Pharaoh

How a mysterious warrior created the Kingdom of Egypt.

Hot History

Oct 16, 2023

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Unification of Egypt

The civilization of the Nile River was not always unified under a single head of state. The southern tribes united into a kingdom, led by King Narmer. With a force of several hundred men, Narmer set his ambitions toward the disparate tribes of the north. He wanted to gain control over vital trade routes, which supplied wine, wood, and incense. The local chiefdoms remained defiant. But the visionary leader vanquished the tribes, uniting them all under a single Egyptian kingdom. Narmer’s unification of Egypt is known through an artifact called the Narmer Palette. It depicts Narmer wearing the two crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, representing the omnipotence of his rule. Much of the research of this foundational period of Egyptian history has only occurred in the past decade or so. After five millennia, it is difficult to disentangle actual history from political propaganda. Excavations at Abydos have unearthed some of the burials of Egypt’s earliest pharaohs. But little has been discovered about King Narmer’s alleged unification of Egypt. It is possible that the whole conquest was a politically expedient fiction.

Hierakonpolis

Hierakonpolis was one of the main power centers of southern Egypt. The Narmer Palette was discovered there by archeologists in the 19th century. Kilns were discovered, which were probably used to make food. Central breweries and bakeries provided beer and bread. Animals were buried, perhaps as a symbol of power and control over nature. The city stretched for three miles along the Nile. At a time when most Europeans still lived in decentralized settlements, the citizens of Hierakonpolis had an advanced society based on trade and cooperation. The impressive sophistication of this ancient city casts doubt on the idea that Narmer consolidated a collection of uncivilized tribes.

Gift of the Nile

Narmer was more than just a military leader. He possessed absolute authority over taxes, religion, and the annual harvest. As the chief administrator, Narmer and his family traveled through the south. The welfare of his people laid solely on his shoulders. But there was one thing that even mighty Narmer could not control, the ebbing and flowing of the Nile River. The Nile River was of tantamount significance to Egyptian religion. The island of Elephantine was a pilgrimage site to Sopdet, the goddess of the Nile. The rise and fall of the Nile waters determined the fate of the crops. Low flooding could mean no harvest, while high flooding could destroy all the crops. It was extremely difficult for Egyptian bureaucrats to work out taxes on the farmers. The Egyptians believed that they needed to appease the gods in order to ensure the Nile’s vital flooding. The King was seen as the central meditator between the deities and the Egyptian populace. Because of this, the King presided over Egypt’s religious rituals. The Egyptians discovered that the floods of the Nile brought fertile mud into the valley, which was vital for their crops. The nutrients of this mud enabled the growth of some of the world’s most bountiful crops. The mud of the Nile is what made Egyptian civilization possible. It was used for the bricks that constituted their huts and palaces. Entire cities were built out of those mud bricks. In the marshes of the Nile, papyrus flourished. This provided paper for the chronicles of Egyptian scribes. As Egypt’s religious figurehead, the King possessed the sole right to inaugurate an irrigation canal. Through dams, reservoirs, and irrigation canals, the Egyptians learned to efficiently manage their agriculture. Even today, many modern Egyptians use the time-tested tactics of their ancient ancestors. To the Egyptian mind, only three seasons existed. These were the flood, the planting, and the harvest. Wheat grew faster than anywhere else in the world, producing enough grain to sustain a population of one million. Grain became vital to Egypt’s economy, and was its chief export. Early on in their history, the Egyptians realized the enormous potential of social cooperation. They worked together to produce agricultural surpluses, and to repair damages after floods.

Boats

Beyond the food supply, the Nile provided a vital source of transportation. Boats were indispensable to Egyptian life, many of which have been found in tombs. Boats carried along crops, building materials, ideas, and people. For longer voyages, the Egyptians relied on sturdier, better constructed ships made of wooden planks. The earliest boats were constructed by wrapping papyrus reeds together, forming a crescent to cut through the waves. A strong roof provided shelter, and oars were used to steer. Wooden planks were sewn together using grass or papyrus. This construction method allowed boats to be disassembled and carried overland. They were strong enough to haul heavy cargo over long distances. Boats formed the backbone of Egypt’s international trade network.

Narmer’s expansion

The settlements of northern Egypt, known collectively as the Principalities of the Delta, prospered from Egypt’s trade with the Middle East. Elites enjoyed purchasing luxury goods from foreign lands. Southern Egypt has also enjoyed an economic and population boom of its own. King Narmer, who dominated much of the south, was eager to seize control over the North’s desirable trade routes. This was what probably motivated his conquest. Somewhere in the Nile Delta, King Narmer and his formidable army managed to conquer the Northern Kingdoms. He celebrated this with a ceremonial parade. Hieroglyphics on one mace detail the conquest. 120,000 people were enslaved, beheaded, or castrated. Over a million goats, and 400,000 cattle were seized. Although exact details are very unclear, Narmer’s war with his northern adversaries is one of the earliest attested conflicts in ancient Egyptian history. Narmer’s conquest marked a turning point in Egyptian history. For the next three millennia, Egypt would be ruled under a centralized pharaonic regime. It marked a transition from the Pre-Dynastic to the Dynastic period. Their rulers would control Egypt with an almost god-like power, forging one of the first empires in human history.

Rule of the pharaohs

Following Narmer’s conquest, the newly unified Egypt was administered into forty districts, called nomes. The King’s body was taken for burial at Abydos. At this point in Egypt’s history, the Egyptians held firmly to the belief in an afterlife, but their famous methods of mummification were far from perfected. Because of this, Narmer’s body was buried in a relatively simple tomb. Despite the enormity of Narmer’s conquest, there are no great monuments to celebrate him. His small grave would be very unimpressive compared to the grand architecture of his pharaonic successors. Precious resources that the early Egyptian regime used in warfare would later be repurposed for architecture. Tombs would grow more elaborate, and monuments would reach extravagantly unseen heights. This would culminate with the Pyramids. Although unified by violent warfare, the peaceful and prosperous elements of Egyptian civilization would secure its longevous legacy under the reign of its larger-than-life leaders. The Age of the Pharaohs had begun.