Name: ________________________________
Binder Number: _______
A United Egypt
Main Idea – King Narmer (also called Menes) united Egypt around 3100
BCE and became the first pharaoh of Egypt.
Setting the Stage
Ancient Egypt was divided into two kingdoms, Upper
Egypt and Lower Egypt. To the north was Lower Egypt
where the Nile stretched out with its several branches to
form the Nile Delta. To the south was Upper Egypt, which
continued down towards the Kingdom of Kush.
Question: Look at the map to the right. Where do you
think Lower Egypt ends and Upper Egypt begins?
By about 3300 B.C.E., we begin to see the first emergence of governments and kings in
Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. The king of Lower Egypt wore a short, boxy looking, red
crown with a tall spike at the back and a curlicue at the front. The king of Upper Egypt wore
something quite different, he wore a tall, white, pear shaped crown.
The Crown of
Lower Egypt
The Crown of Upper
Egypt
What do Governments do?
Why do we need governments? Make a list of at least 5 things local or national governments
do for its citizens in today’s world. Then, we will look back in time at what ancient
governments did for the citizens of Egypt.
Now
Then
Question: Why do we need a government?
A United Egypt
Around 3100 BCE, Upper and Lower Egypt became one. Credit for this goes to a strongwilled king named Narmer, who was also known as Menes. As a king of Upper Egypt, he
led his armies north and conquered Lower Egypt. As a symbol of a united kingdom,
Narmer created the double crown from the red and white crowns of Upper and Lower
Egypt. This symbolic gesture showed the citizens of Egypt that Narmer was the king of a
united Egypt and with this move Narmer would become the first pharaoh of Egypt.
Pictured: The double crown worn by King
Narmer. This crown merged the previously
independent crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt
to symbolize a united Egypt. Look at the crown
and label the two crowns which make up the
double crown.
Define: Pharaoh
King Narmer
Historians do not know a lot of information about King Narmer. Written accounts of
Narmer’s accomplishments were written hundreds or even thousands of years after his
death. By then, Narmer had become a legendary hero.
Many of Narmer’s accomplishments look like myths. According to one story, Narmer died
after a long and triumphant reign when he was carried off and killed by a hippopotamus.
However, the following items are believed to be true accomplishments of Narmer:
---Legacy of Narmer--1.
2.
3.
Define: Monarchy
Little is known of Egypt’s first two dynasties, but records improve with the Third Dynasty. The
Third Dynasty begins the period historians call the Old Kingdom. Eventually, Egypt would 31
dynasties, spanning 2,600 years.
The Narmer Palette
So how do we know that Narmer was the first pharaoh of Egypt? Egyptologists believe he
was the first pharaoh because of the discovery of the Narmer Palette.
Define: Egyptologist
Front
Back
The Narmer Palette shows us….
Name: ______________________
The Narmer Palette
Directions: We are going to examine the Narmer Palette. We will do this in 3 phases:
Phase 1: 5 minutes of independent examination.
Phase 2: 5 minutes of group examination.
Phase 3: 5 minutes of group examination with hints.
Your job is to try and explain what is going on this palette. You must analyze the pictures
and try to piece together the story. Essentially, your analysis should be able to answer this
question: How does the artifact tell Egyptologists that Narmer was the united Upper
and Lower Egypt?
Tips:
1. Look at each and every picture and look for symbolism.
2. Refer back to your notes to help you.
3. There are 2-3 scenes on each side. The scenes are broken up by lines.
Independent examination
Group examination
Group examination with hints
FRONT
BACK
The Narmer Palette
Front Side
On the first side on the palette, depicting Narmer
wearing the White Crown of the Upper Kingdom,
there are two scenes. In the first scene, which
takes up most of the space on the palette, the
King is the dominant figure. He is wearing the
White Crown of Upper Egypt, and has a mace in
one hand, and the hair of a man in the other.
The mace is intended to go for the kneeling
man's head. In front of the King is the symbol for
royalty, the falcon-faced God Horus. Horus is
perched atop a papyrus plant, a plant which
grows in Upper Egypt’s Nile Delta. This being
over the kneeling man's head, symbolizes the
conquest of Lower Egypt by Upper Egypt.
Finally, at the bottom are two fallen enemies and
a town from Lower Egypt.
Back Side
On this side there are three scenes. In the first,
the King is back again, but this time wearing the
Red Crown of Lower Egypt. He holds a mace
and flail this time, which are symbols of royalty.
To help clarify he is the same person, his name
is put next to him. Next to the king are smaller
figures, representing their separate social class.
In the center of the scene is the (even smaller
than the other two figures) front part of a
procession of sorts, heading towards ten dead,
decapitated beings. The dead represent the
fallen enemies of the king. In the second scene,
there are two people tying together the
extremely long necks of two lions. This most
likely represents the coming together and
unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. In the
third scene, a bull is running over an enemy.
This represents the king's power and
dominance.