Who Was King Menes? Mystery Of This Legendary Ruler May Go Back 20,000 Years
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The first Pharaoh in Egyptian recorded history was Menes-Narmer and his reign marks the beginning of human civilization.
As recorded on the Palermo Stone, there was a civilization prior to the present one that dated back about twenty and thirty thousand years. Our civilization was born from the destruction of the previous one. This civilization is referred to as a “lost” one.
In 1902, renowned art historian Heinrich Schafer published the first information regarding the Palermo Stone, the most important feature of which is the listing of rulers that predate Menes, the first “official” ruler of Egypt. This goes back thousands of years into the pre-dynastic period, and into what John Anthony West referred to as the Zep Tepi.

Palermo Stone - Cairo Fragment CF1 lists, among others, the start of the reign of Horus Djer. Credits: ancient-egypt.org
The reign of Menes-Narmer was chosen as the starting point because that is as far back as we can trace to the beginning of human civilization, but the identity of Pharaoh Menes-Narmer is a very complex subject.
Who Unified Upper And Lower Egypt?
No doubt, the most important event in history of ancient Egypt was the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under one rule. However, the identity of the first ruler responsible for the unification of Egypt has long been shrouded in mystery.
This is a preview of our premium article available only to members of Ancient Pages.
Become a member to read more.
If you are already a member and have logged in to your account, you can access the article here
More From Ancient Pages
-
Carved Symbols Related To The Galician Castro Culture Discovered At Castro de San Vicenzo, Orense, Spain
Archaeology | Oct 11, 2024 -
Mysterious Books With Dangerous Secret Knowledge Deliberately Hidden From Public View
Featured Stories | Jan 8, 2024 -
Four Rare And Incredibly Well-Preserved 1,900-Year-Old Roman Swords Found In Judean Desert
Archaeology | Sep 6, 2023 -
15,000-Year-Old Shell Beads Found Kebara Cave Are The Oldest Known Use Of Organic Red Pigments
Archaeology | Oct 27, 2023 -
Mysterious Crypt Points To A Rosicrucian Secret That Was Never Meant To Be Revealed
Ancient Mysteries | Aug 1, 2024 -
Genuine Bronze Warrior Statuette Unearthed At Technologically Advanced Celtic Settlement Oppidum Of Manching
Archaeology | Aug 18, 2025 -
Vetala – Vampire With Knowledge Of The Past, Present And Future In Hindu Mythology
Featured Stories | Jan 19, 2021 -
Puzzling Case Of An Ancient French Giant Whose Bones Caused Sensation And Controversy
Ancient Mysteries | Jan 22, 2019 -
New Fossil Of 145-Million-Year-Old Pterosaur Nicknamed Elvis
Fossils | Jul 14, 2023 -
Surprising Discovery Reveals Why Medieval Graves Were Re-Opened – Stealing Was Not The Purpose
Archaeology | May 24, 2017 -
Pandavleni Caves: Skillfully Carved Rocky Realms Decorated With Sculptures And Inscriptions In Brahmi Script
Featured Stories | Aug 1, 2016 -
New Archaeological Discoveries In The Temple Of Khnum At Esna, Luxor
Archaeology | Dec 29, 2022 -
Traces Of A 9,000-Year-Old Lost Unknown Civilization Discovered In Lake Huron, Michigan
Civilizations | Aug 11, 2014 -
Ancient Romans Invented The First Bound Book
Ancient History Facts | Sep 25, 2017 -
Kelpie – Supernatural Horse-Liked Creature Lures Humans To Death In Scottish Lore
Featured Stories | Dec 29, 2021 -
Hundreds Of 19th-Century Skulls Collected In The Name Of Medical Science Tell A Story Of Who Mattered And Who Didn’t
Featured Stories | Nov 14, 2024 -
Rene Descartes – Independent French Thinker And His Main Ideas
Featured Stories | Apr 27, 2021 -
Archaeologists Highlight The Tartessos Culture’s Sustainable Construction Skills
Archaeology | Oct 4, 2024 -
Biblical Pool Of Siloam In The City of David To Be Excavated And Opened To The Public
Archaeology | Jan 2, 2023 -
Ancient DNA Reveals Mongolia’s First Nomadic Empire Was Multiethnic
DNA | Apr 14, 2023


