Mernieth

Tomb stela of Merneith,
in the Umm el-Qa'ab.

When Flinders Petrie, English archaeologist,  re-excavated the tombs at the old burial ground of Abydos during 1901 he accidentally found an unfamiliar tomb whose owner bore the name Mer-Neith.  The monument itself was a traditional building under ground with side chambers within like the mastaba tombs accompanied with side burials of retainers outside.

At first he thought that he had found an unknown king, but soon new fact came to light telling the unexpected truth that Mer-Neith was a woman.

It became clear that she was the widow and queen of king Djet and held office during the puerility and youth of their son, the next ruler to be - king Den whose name appeared in the grave. A proof of her position in the sequence of leaders was later found on a seal impression from the tomb of her son, where her name was put along with the ruling kings but without the king's insignia - the Horus falcon. In other lists from later times however, the Egyptians did not mention her, only her son. Above all, her name was found on a fine stele made of stone that credibly have had the same function as the one found from her husband - to mark the place of offering for the veneration of her immortal individual. For later commemoration she also had a ritual area in Abydos, beside the ones from five other regents. Her name contains the old patroness and war goddess from Lower Egypt - Neith and means: "beloved by Neith", whose regalia, (shield and arrows), are present on small labels from this time as well as her big stela. That the queen thus was a native of the Delta is a plausible guess, thereby making a sort of matrimonial alliance between the northern and the South, but this is so far not confirmed. Few remains attested to her of found outside Abydos probably due to the fact that all official sign, marks of property etc were made in the name of her little son. An exception is a great mastaba (Nr 3503, 16x42 m) in Sakkara where her name has been found as inscriptions on stone vessels, jars and seal impressions.

King Mernieth's Burial place:

His tomb in saqqara (3507) and abydos (tomb y) support her rule. Primitively missed, but found by Petrie. The central chamber is included with 8 storerooms whwere certain jars were found. The burial chamber contains the stela of Merytneith. 41 alternative graves. Tomb Y, Umm el Ga’ab.

Djer (Itit) (3016—2970)

Cartouche of Djer

Djer was the second pharaoh during the 1st Dynasty, when the crown still resided at Memphis. He was the son of Aha and one of his lesser placed wives, a woman named Hent. Djer established a palace at Memphis where he ruled Egypt from for fifty years. He also launched a successful military effort to fight the Hekssus in Sinai. His name was found in an inscription on the Wadi Halfa, south of the first Cataract, proving the boundaries of his reign. Djer's wife was Queen Herneith. He was sunk in a mortuary complex which is named the True Essential of the god Osiris.

His tomb, at abydos, (tomb o) holds 300 alternative burials, just weest of Aha; made of brick 70 x 40 meters. In the Umm el- Ga’ab section tomb believed to hold Osiris and focus of pilgrimages. Later mistaken for the tomb of Osiris. Discovered by Emile Amelineau in 1895 with a 5 year contract for mining.

King Djer's Burial position:

He was a low archeaologist – probably he got the contract because he was friends with the manager of the Egyptian Antiquities Service in Cairo – and discovered the “Tomb of Osiris” in "Umm el Ga’ab", an area simply prosperous with artifacts. He completely cleared the tomb between January 1 and January 12th, discarding whole piles of artifacts and retaining only complete objects. Most things were simply ignored if the felt them of no value.l. He found a basalt statue on a bier (similar to the funerary couch of Tut) in the tomb, and a skull in one chamber.  He decided (quite arbitrarily, based on the stiarcase) that this was athe tomb of Osiris himself, and the skull was that of the god – or, in his view, a true historical figure. The skull was later identified as that of a woman,b ut this did not change Emile’s view.

Menes (Horus Aha) (3050—2890 BCE)

Narmer

This is new lights about Knig Menes, this who founded memphis and crocodopolis.Aha is known for more people as King Menes of Memphis. He was the founding of the 1st Dynasty, . First king to unify Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. Ancient Egypt's most frequent form of civilization began with his crowning, and did not end for good until the beginning of the  Roman epoch, which started with Augustus Caeser. Menes founded the city of Memphis, and chose as its location an island in the Nile, so that it would be easy to defend. Menes was also the founder of Crocodopolis. During his time, the Egyptian army performed raids against the Nubians in the southern and expanded his sphere of shape as far as the First Cataract. His chief wife was Queen Berenib, though she was not the mother of his successor, King Djer, and his mother was Neithotepe. His death is a secret, for, according to legend he was attacked by wild dogs and Nile crocodiles in Faiyum . Menes' tomb rests at Saqqara, the famed necropolis of Memphis. He died at the age of Sixty Three.

Pharaoh Aha is by custom among archaeologists the pharaoh that established the first dynasty and a long reign and repositories and other remains attested to him have been got all over Egypt. If he was the first king (by historian Manetho called Menes) he was supposed to have been in office for 62 years. He was an active ruler put forward the god Ptah from his new capital Memphis who patron of creation and handicraft. This township (or more likely a shrine within it) originally had the name "Hiku-Ptah" later to be corrupt by foreigners to the name "Egypt". All forms of craftsmanship and art was supported during his rule, and he was a pacifier between the two fractions in the country after the Upper (southern) part's taking over of the Lower (northern). Manetho says that during this time the Egyptian people learned how to live in a civilized manner, and worship the gods in a unique way. The first great mastaba tomb at Sakkara (the royal graveyard of Memphis) is from Aha's reign (Nr 3357, ~ 42 x 15 m), and was the first ever to have a boat buried beside. This custom with maritime association was to continue for thousands of years. 

At the same place great mastabas were established for persons believed to have been high officials and likely close relations to the king or his queen. Very few remains (if any) from king Aha are found out Egypt and just a single find of foreign pottery is base from his reign. A big change is showed in his tomb complex at Abydos, so different from his predecessors' and presumed father Narmer's. The main buildings are three chambers with very thick walls placed in a row. Like the other doing tombs they were lined inside with wood and roofed with wooden beams. Completing the row were 34 minor tombs for retainers who had observed their master into the next world. I they were sacrificed or buried over after their natural death, is not known. This strongly points that Aha had a supreme and probably divine power, a inheritance that should become the distinctive mark for the Egyptian state in the time to come. The first chamber was the burying place of the king himself and there was found written text of a cargo freight to the Delta with offering goods to a shrine, all carved in to a tiny little label of wood. The second chamber is thought to belong to his queen named Bernerib (meaning "Sweet of Hearts"). Her name was found in some side burials credibly belonging to her servants. This means that the complex was great over time and investigations from the 1990s confirms that many royal tombs at Abydos was altered several times. Aha is a strong prospect to be the legendary king Menes - the unifier and first king of Egypt. Another strong candidate is his supposed father Narmer, who lacks monuments from the capital Memphis but is recorded as the founder by the Egyptians.