King menes egypt biography for kids

For other uses, see Menes (disambiguation).

Menes (fl. c. – BC; ; Ancient Egyptian: mnj, probably pronounced */maˈnij/; Ancient Greek: Μήνης) was a pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt credited by classical tradition with having united Upper and Lower Egypt and as the founder of the First Dynasty.

The identity of Menes is the subject of ongoing debate, although mainstream Egyptological consensus identifies Menes with the Naqada III ruler Narmer or First Dynasty pharaohHor-Aha.

King menes egypt biography for kids

Both pharaohs are credited with the unification of Egypt to different degrees by various authorities.

Name and identity

The commonly-used name Menes derives from Manetho, an Egyptian historian and priest who lived during the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Manetho noted the name in Greek as Μήνης (transliterated:Mênês). An alternative Greek form, Μιν (transliterated:Min), was cited by the fifth-century-BC historian Herodotus, but this variant is no longer accepted;