History
Ancient tradition ascribed to Menes the honour of having united Upper and Lower Egypt into in a single kingdom and becoming the first pharaoh of Dynasty I.
However, his name does not appear on extant pieces of the Royal Annals (Cairo Stone and Palermo Stone), which is a now-fragmentary king's list that was carved onto a stela during the Fifth dynasty. He typically appears in later sources as the first human ruler of Egypt, directly inheriting the throne from the god Horus. He also appears in other, much later, king's lists, always as the first human pharaoh of Egypt. Menes also appears in demotic novels of the Graeco-Roman Period, demonstrating that, even that late, he was regarded as important figure.
Menes was seen as a founding figure for much of the history of Ancient Egypt, similar to Romulus in Ancient Rome.
Manetho records that Menes "led the army across the frontier and won great glory".
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