Hor-aha
The Fighting Hawk
Hor-aha is a fairly well documented ruler. His
name appears on many potsherds and labels that identify Hor-aha historically. Hor-aha also took as a secondary royal name Men which translated means "established". An ivory label contains both names also providing more evidence of his existence. The label shows two human figures, one of them
Hor-aha, "Receiving the North and South". This ruler is acknowledged as the son of Narmer and a woman of great Northern
lineage, Nithotep.
Hor-aha also is credited with the founding of
Memphis(Men-nefer) a city that would be the national capital. He also founded the city of Crocodilopolis and began the construction of a temple dedicated to Neith at Sais. Hor-aha expanded Egyptian influence into Nubia.
Hor-aha had, according to Manetho's account, lived to be an advanced age of 62. He had two burials one at Abydos and the other at Sakkara. The Abydos burial appears to be the primary burial site. The Abydos site, designated B-19, was
constructed of mud brick and had a wooden lining and has three chambers. Along with the rulers burial there are 25 subsidiary graves. The subsidiary burial contained the bodies of male
retainers and the bones of about 10 young lions. The Sakkara burial-Mastaba 3357 has been ascribed to Hor-aha but may have belonged to a high court official.
Djer
Horus Who Succors
Djer was the successor of Hor-aha. He was
documented from many labels that contained his name. One of these labels shows Djer making state visits to Buto and Sais. Buto was one of the early capitals of Lower Egypt and Sais would one day become a capital in the Late Period. Djer would make at least one military campaign in the Sinai. It is thought that Djer lived a long life and may have ruled for 30 or more years.
Djer's burial at Abydos is the most expansive and has the dimensions of 39ft x 43ft. It was made of mud
brick construction and was covered by wood planking, reed matting and mud. The sub-structure was mainly a single large room with many storage alcove side chambers. The tomb, when discovered, contained a bandaged arm with four bracelets
an Osiris bed sculpture and a skull of an unknown person. The skull is very small so it may have been have been female.
The Abydos burial of this ruler had some of the most extensive subsidiary burials. 97 stelae mark some of the graves. The complex was found to have 76 females,11 male and 2 dwarfs. The total for all the subsidiary graves is 318.
Djet
Horus Cobra
Stela of King Djet
Not much is known about Djet. He is acknowledged as the successor of Djer and he may have he died at a young age. He may have been the consort of Merneith, a royal
woman of great power. Djet is also known as Wadj in some
translations. He left behind a stela that is one of the most beautiful. It has his name enclosed in a serekh, a citadel-like structure, reserved for the royal name.
Merneith
Beloved of Neith
Stela of Merneith found at Abydos
Merneith is an extrordinary woman and merits mention as one the rulers of the 1st Dynasty. She may have set a precedent for all following female rulers. She could have acted as a Regent for the next ruler Den. There are,however, many scholars that have a different opinion and consider that Merneith was a ruler in her own right. Many stone vessels and sealings bear her name were found at Sakkara. A stela bears her name and it is written in the Archaic form with the crossed arrows that are the name of Neith in its Archaic form. Merneith has two burial sites, one at Abydos and one at Sakkara(Mastaba 3503). The Sakkara burial does have some artifacts that have the the name of a high court official called Seshemka. The Abydos burial is amongst the kings of her dynasty. It has 41 subsidiary burials, all female retainers. The Sakkara burial(Mastaba 3503) ascribed to her has an additional 77 subsidiary burials. The total number at both complexes is 118.
Den
Horus Who Strikes
An Ivory Label Showing King Den Smiting an Enemy
King Den came to the throne at a young age, apparently. He may have had Merneith as a Regent. His military experiences consisted of a military campaign in the Sinai when he became of age. He is documented with many labels and vessel sealings in the same way as Merneith.
Den's burial at Abydos dimensions were 62ft x 49ft. His tomb, designated Tomb-Z, had some 174 subsidiary burials. There has been evidence found at Giza of a burial of an unknown Queen of Den's. The Giza site was very badly damaged if not destroyed.
Anedjib
Safe is his Heart
Anedjib is accepted as the successor of
Den. His relationship to Den is not clear. This ruler's reign was not as secure as his ancestor's were. The northern nomes had rebelled against this king. The kings's tomb in Abydos is of very shoddy construction. The tomb was constructed entirely of a wood lining with no mud brick inner structure. The tomb is also the smallest being only 53.75ft x 29.5 ft. The subsidiary burials(64 of them) are also in very poor condition.
Semerkhet
Thoughtful Friend
Semerkhet only reigned for nine years. According to Manetho some disasters occurred in his reign. He may have been responsible for the unrest in Anedjib's reign. He
is responsible for erasing Anedjib's name from stone vases and it's been theorised that he was a usurper. His tomb at Abydos is certainly larger than Anedjib's, The tomb dimensions are 95ft x 101.75ft and was lined in mud brick. A Sakkara tomb for him has
not been ascribed to him.
Qa-a
His Arm is Raised
Documentation of Qa-a is an ongoing process.
He is mentioned on jar sealings and two damaged stela. One one of these stela he is shown wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt and being embraced by the God Horus. Qa-a, according to Manetho, had reigned about 26 years. His burial was at Abydos in tomb designated Tomb Q. A German archaeological expedition in 1993 re-excavated the tomb and had discovered that several alterations had been made in the tomb. It is a small tomb and it's dimensions are 98.5ft x 75.5ft. The subsidiary burials are also reduced to 26 in number. A tomb thought to have been Qa-a's at Sakkara was in fact a tomb of a high official named Merkha.
The first part of Dynasty 1 was an apparent time of
stability and prosperity. After the reign of Den conflicting factions caused changed that would end this great Dynasty. This is the only Dynasty that had subsidiary burial where retainers were killed in order to serve the ruler in the afterlife. The practice ceased after the reign of Qa'a.
Onto Dynasty 2
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