Narmer

Narmer

Some scholars consider Narmer as belonging to 'Dynasty 0' (kings attested on contemporary sources and thought to be earlier than the First Dynasty), though most scholars consider him to be the first king of the First Dynasty (maybe identical with the legendary king Menes, known from later sources as the founder of Egypt).

Attestations in the Petrie Museum:

Tarkhan,
tomb 414

seal impressions

Tarkhan,
tomb 414

inscription on jar

Tarkhan
tomb 1702

uncertain reading on jar

seal impression

UC 16083

UC 16084

UC 35688, found at Abydos, exact location unknown

Seal impression from Abydos, exact findspot unknown; reconstruction of the whole seal (compare Dreyer 1986a; Kaiser 1986)

UC 36981

UC 36981, reconstruction

Further important attestations:

Inscription from tomb Z 401 in Zawiyet el-Aryan (Dunham 1978: 25-26)
Inscriptions from Helwan (Saad 1947: 165)
Inscription on jar from Tell Ibrahim Awad (van den Brink 1992: 52)
'Narmer palette' found in the main deposit in Hierakonpolis

The name of the king has been found on objects at several sites in South Palestine.

Bibliography:

Dreyer 1999a (publication on a jar with the name of the king)
Petrie 1925a: 5 (list of sources then known)
Helck 1987: 90-92
Wilkinson 1996: 11-12

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