State · c. 3150–3100 BCE
Egypt is unified
Nekhen (Hierakonpolis), Upper Egypt
Kings from Upper (southern) Egypt took control of the Nile Delta, completing a unification begun by earlier rulers. The Narmer Palette, found at Nekhen, shows King Narmer, usually identified with the legendary Menes, wearing the crowns of both Upper and Lower Egypt.
The First Dynasty ruled from Memphis, where the Nile valley meets the delta.
Why it mattered
Unification created a single kingdom along the Nile under one king, with writing and a bureaucracy, and pharaonic rule endured, with interruptions, for about 3,000 years.
Related
- The world in 3000 BCE: The First Kings chapter
- Uruk, the first great city previous moment · c. 3500–3100 BCE
- Bronze comes into wide use next moment · c. 3300–3000 BCE