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First Dynasty of Egypt

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Periods and dynasties of ancient Egypt
All years are BC
Early
Pre-dynastic period
First Dynasty I c. 3150–2890
Second Dynasty II 2890–2686
Old Kingdom
Third Dynasty III 2686–2613
Fourth Dynasty IV 2613–2498
Fifth Dynasty V 2498–2345
Sixth Dynasty VI 2345–2181
First Intermediate
Seventh Dynasty VII spurious
Eighth Dynasty VIII 2181–2160
Ninth Dynasty IX 2160–2130
Tenth Dynasty X 2130–2040
Early Eleventh Dynasty XI 2134–2061
Middle Kingdom
Late Eleventh Dynasty XI 2061–1991
Twelfth Dynasty XII 1991–1803
Thirteenth Dynasty XIII 1803–1649
Second Intermediate
Fourteenth Dynasty XIV 1705–1690
Fifteenth Dynasty (Hyksos) XV 1674–1535
Sixteenth Dynasty XVI 1660–1600
Abydos Dynasty 1650–1600
Seventeenth Dynasty XVII 1580–1549
New Kingdom
Eighteenth Dynasty XVIII 1549–1292
Nineteenth Dynasty XIX 1292–1189
Twentieth Dynasty XX 1189–1077
Third Intermediate
Twenty-first Dynasty XXI 1069–945
Twenty-second Dynasty XXII 945–720
Twenty-third Dynasty XXIII 837–728
Twenty-fourth Dynasty XXIV 732–720
Twenty-fifth Dynasty (Nubian) XXV 732–653
Late Period
Twenty-sixth Dynasty XXVI 672–525
XXVII 525–404
Twenty-eighth Dynasty XXVIII 404–398
Twenty-ninth Dynasty XXIX 398–380
Thirtieth Dynasty XXX 380–343
XXXI 343–332
Hellenistic Egypt
Thirty-second Dynasty XXXII 332–305
Thirty-third Dynasty XXXIII 305–30
Roman Egypt
XXXIV 30 BC – 313 AD
Byzantine Egypt
XXXV 379 AD – 641 AD

The First Dynasty of ancient Egypt (Dynasty I)[1] covers the first series of Egyptian kings to rule over a unified Egypt. It immediately follows the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, possibly by Narmer, and marks the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period, a time at which power was centered at Thinis.

The date of this period is subject to scholarly debate about the Egyptian chronology. It falls within the early Bronze Age and is variously estimated to have begun anywhere between the 34th and the 30th centuries BC. In a 2013 study based on radiocarbon dates, the beginning of the First Dynasty - the accession of Hor-Aha - was placed at 3100 BC give or take a century (3218–3035, with 95% confidence).[2]

Rulers

Known rulers in the history of Egypt for the First Dynasty are as follows:

Name Reign Notes
Span Dates
Narmer Uncertain Late 32nd century (?) Usually identified as Menes, uniter of Upper and Lower Egypt.[3] Probable successor of the protodynastic Naqada kings Scorpion or Ka. Succeeded by Hor-Aha.
Hor-Aha Uncertain but long From late 32nd century or early 31st[4] Sometimes identified as Menes. Father of Djer, possibly by Neithhotep or a wife, only attested much later, named Khenthap. Succeeded by the regency of Neithhotep.
Neithhotep 1 year (?)[5] (?) Female. Regent for her son or grandson and successor Djer.
Djer 40–41 years fl. 3000 BC Father of Merneith. Succeeded by Djet, his probable son.
Djet c. 10 years From c. 2980 BC Succeeded by his wife and probable sister Merneith. Father of Den.
Merneith (?) From c. 2970 BC Female. Regent for her son and successor Den and possible pharaoh in her own right. Probably daughter of Djer and senior wife of Djet.
Den 42 years From c. 2970 BC
Possible gap
Anedjib 8-10 years From c. 2930 BC Grandson of Djet and Merneith, possibly son of Den.
Possible gap
Semerkhet 8½ years From c. 2920 BC Formerly believed to be a usurper but legitimate and possible son of Den. Succeeded by Qa'a.
Qa'a 26–33 years From c. 2910 BC Last pharaoh of Dynasty I

Information about this dynasty is derived from a few monuments and other objects bearing royal names, the most important being the Narmer Palette and Narmer Macehead, as well as Den and Qa'a king lists.[6] [7][8] No detailed records of the first two dynasties have survived, except for the terse lists on the Palermo Stone. The account in Manetho's Aegyptiaca contradicts both the archeological evidence and the other historical records: Manetho names nine rulers of the First Dynasty, only one of whose names matches the other sources, and offers information for only four of them.[9] Egyptian hieroglyphs were fully developed by then, and their shapes would be used with little change for more than three thousand years.

Large tombs of pharaohs at Abydos and Naqada, in addition to cemeteries at Saqqara and Helwan near Memphis, reveal structures built largely of wood and mud bricks, with some small use of stone for walls and floors. Stone was used in quantity for the manufacture of ornaments, vessels, and occasionally, for statues. Tamarix ("tamarisk" or "salt cedar") was used to build boats such as the Abydos boats. One of the most important indigenous woodworking techniques was the fixed mortise and tenon joint. A fixed tenon was made by shaping the end of one timber to fit into a mortise (hole) that is cut into a second timber. A variation of this joint using a free tenon eventually became one of the most important features in Mediterranean and Egyptian shipbuilding. It creates a union between two planks or other components by inserting a separate tenon into a cavity (mortise) of the corresponding size cut into each component."[10]

  • Calcite dish. From Royal Tomb "U", Semerkhet, at Abydos.
    Calcite dish. From Royal Tomb "U", Semerkhet, at Abydos.
  • Necklaces with different types of beads. Carnelian, coral, and garnet.
    Necklaces with different types of beads. Carnelian, coral, and garnet.
  • Pottery jar with integral strainer.
    Pottery jar with integral strainer.

Human sacrifice

Human sacrifice was practiced as part of the funerary rituals associated with all of the pharaohs of the first dynasty.[11] It is clearly demonstrated as existing during this dynasty by retainers being buried near each pharaoh's tomb as well as animals sacrificed for the burial. The tomb of Djer is associated with the burials of 338 individuals.[11] The people and animals sacrificed, such as donkeys, were expected to assist the pharaoh in the afterlife. For unknown reasons, this practice ended with the conclusion of the dynasty.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Kuhrt (1995), p. 118.
  2. ^ Dee, M.; Wengrow, D.; Shortland, A.; Stevenson, A.; Brock, F.; Girdland Flink, L.; Bronk Ramsey, C. (4 September 2013). "An absolute chronology for early Egypt using radiocarbon dating and Bayesian statistical modelling". Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 469 (2159): 20130395–20130395. doi:10.1098/rspa.2013.0395.
  3. ^ Dee et al. (2013) note: "For this study, we take the foundation date to refer to the accession of king Aha of the First Dynasty, although his predecessor, Narmer, most probably held political control over the whole state. Historical foundation dates vary widely and recent estimates range from 3400 to 2900 BCE."
  4. ^ Dee et al. 2013 provide the date 3080 BC within a margin of error of 30 years (p = 0.32). "Our analysis generates a chronometric date for the foundation of Egypt (accession of king Aha) of 3111–3045 BCE (68% hpd range; median 3085 BCE) or 3218–3035 BCE (95% hpd range)."
  5. ^ In accordance with the "double death" and interregnum recorded on the Palermo Stone following the reign of Hor-Aha.
  6. ^ "Qa'a and Merneith lists", Xoomer, IT: Virgilio.
  7. ^ The Narmer Catalog http://narmer.org/inscription/1553
  8. ^ The Narmer Catalog http://narmer.org/inscription/4048
  9. ^ Manetho, Fr. 6, 7a, 7b. Text and translation in Manetho, translated by W.G. Waddell (Cambridge: Harvard University, 1940), pp. 27–35
  10. ^ "Early ship construction – Khufu's solar boat", Egypt (Timeline), IL: Reshafim, January 2001, retrieved October 29, 2008.
  11. ^ a b Shaw (2000), p. 68.

Bibliography

Preceded by
New creation
 Dynasty of Egypt
c. 3100 – 2890 BCE 		Succeeded by
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