Narmer - the First Pharaoh

His Nation Would Last for Over 3,000 Years . . .

Narmer was an Egyptian Pharaoh who ruled in the 31st century BC. Thought to be the successor to the predynastic "King Scorpion", he is considered by many to be the unifier of Egypt and founder of the First dynasty, and therefore the first king of all Egypt. There is a growing consensus that Scorpion and Narmer are identical, but no identification with any early king can yet be definitively proven. The famous Narmer Palette, discovered in 1898 in Hierakonpolis, shows Narmer displaying the insignia of both Upper and Lower Egypt, giving rise to the theory that he unified the two kingdoms in c. 3100 BC.

It was during the time of Narmer that the divine kingship became well established as Egypt's form of government. Writing evolved from a few simple signs mainly used to denote the quantity and condition of goods, to a complex system of several hundreds of signs with both phonetic and ideographic values. Craftsmen increased their skills and experimented with the use of more durable materials. Structures built in brick, wood and reeds were copied in stone, giving birth to the typical Ancient Egyptian architecture.

Most of the features developed during the time of Narmer would remain in use until the Greek-Roman Period -- an entire culture that would remain virtually unchanged for more than 3000 years.