Menes

Menes (/ˈmiːniːz/; Egyptian: Mnj, probably pronounced */maˈnij/;Ancient Greek: Μήνης;Arabic: مينا‎) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the early dynastic period, credited by classical tradition with having united Upper and Lower Egypt, and as the founder of the first dynasty (Dynasty I).

The identity of Menes is the subject of ongoing debate, although mainstream Egyptological consensus identifies Menes with the protodynastic pharaoh Narmer (most likely) or first dynasty Hor-Aha. Both pharaohs are credited with the unification of Egypt, to different degrees by various authorities.

Name and identity

The commonly used Menes derives from Manetho, an Egyptian historian and priest who lived during the Ptolemaic period. Manetho used the name in the form Μήνης (transliterated: Mênês). An alternative Greek form, Μιν (transliterated: Min), was cited by the 5th-century BC historian Herodotus, a variant no longer considered the result of contamination from the name of the god Min.

The Egyptian form, Meni, is taken from the Turin and Abydos king lists (dated Dynasty XIX).