The Humble Beginning of the Two-Land Jewel of the Nile: Egypt

When talking about great civilisations of ages past, one can never fail to mention ancient Egypt. For thousands of years, this civilisation has continued to captivate and enthrall countless generations of historians, professional and laymen alike. But how did such civilisation with a humble beginning thrive so well for several thousands of years since its unification?

It is definitely true that all great cities and empires start with a good water source, and what could be better than an undying river which flows all year around and floods the land with its fertile water once a year. The famous Nile River has been providing the ancient Egypt with all she needed to survive and to prosper, and in effect has served as the back-bone of a great civilisation that would last for more than 3,000 years. It is no exaggeration to say that Egypt is the ‘gift of the Nile’, upon which her very existence depends.

As Egypt polarised into South and North, into Upper and Lower Egypt, the two parts were eventually divided further into regional capital or nome, with its own leaders, deities, and flag-like standards. To complicate the matters further, Lower Egypt is actually Northern Egypt which borders the Mediterranean and where the Nile stretches out into several branches to the form the Nile Delta, while Upper Egypt refers to Southern Egypt. Hence, the terms “Lower” and “Upper refers to the flow of the Nile from the East African highlands to the Mediterranean (opposite of North-to-South). These two parts of Egypt were originally ruled by their own Pharaohs, who wore different colour crowns: White Crown for Upper Egypt (hedjet) and Red Crown for Lower Egypt (deshret). Thus, Egypt was known as the Two Lands, and the Pharaohs as rulers of the Two Lands.

Pharaoh Narmer, who unified Upper and Lower Egypt

Then at around 3000 BC, the two lands of Egypt underwent a great transformation with the arrival of a great figure, the mysterious Narmer, who was credited with unifying Upper and Lower Egypt, thus becoming the first Pharaoh of the unified Egypt, and the first Pharaoh of the first dynasty.  Even now, the enigmatic Narmer’s identity remains a subject of an ongoing debate, but a general consensus seems to identify Narmer with Nemes, the first dynasty Pharaoh who is also credited with unifying Egypt.  

The Narmer Palette

How did we know all this? Through the Narmer Palette, which contains some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found, and is thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the king Narmer, told us so. On it, the king is depicted with the White Crown of Upper (southern) Egypt, and the other side depicts the king wearing the Red Crown of Lower (northern) Egypt, while smiting his enemies. Some scholars argue that the Palette does depict a historical event, however, and claimed that it serves merely a symbolic purpose. Whatever the theories, the truth is that the Palette is one of most ancient historical artifacts which contains writing.

Thus, from Narmer sprang the successive generations and dynasties of Pharaohs that would continue to glorify the land of Egypt through its marvelous innovations, mesmerising and breath-taking architecture, wonderful art, and superb military achievement that will overshadow its neighbours for millennia to come.