The Story of a Civilization’s Birth as Told by the Earliest Known Historical Document
Egypt’s rise was a combination of violence and tactful diplomacy
In 1897, archaeologists Frederick Green and James Quibble made an astonishing discovery while excavating the Temple of Horus at Nekhen, Egypt. They unearthed a 5,000-year-old stone palette that was 2 feet long. The palette featured a mace-wielding warrior. He was wearing a crown, implying that he was a king.
Green and Quibble’s discovery was not an ordinary find. The doodles on the palette were not artwork. They told the story of Egypt’s first Pharaoh and the country’s unification. A united Egypt began a new chapter in its history, which changed human civilization forever.
The palette known as the Narmer Palette contained the earliest known hieroglyphics and gives us a vivid account of Egypt’s first Pharaoh, Narmer.
As opposed to legends of Rome’s Romulus and Remus and Mesopotamia’s Sargon, the Narmer Palette was penned during the king’s time in charge. We can say the document is one of the earliest examples of historical record keeping.
Let us learn more about Narmer and how he brought Egypt together. But before we get to Narmer’s story, what was Egypt like before the rise of the Pharaohs?
