Menes
Menes is the legendary first pharaohs of the 1st dynasty, according to tradition, he managed to gather the resources of his Upper Egyptians kingdom and successfully invade the Delta. In subjugating the provinces of Lower Egypt he brought the whole of the Nile Valley under his domination from the first cataract to the sea.
Menes set up a fortification south of the apex of the delta near the borderline between the two lands, it was known as the white wall, probably in reference to the Upper Egyptians kingdom it represented, though later known as Memphis.
The legends which have come down to us of Egypt`s first pharaoh have undergone thousands of years of embellishment. Traditionally recognized as the founder of Memphis and the temple of Ptah, its chief deity, Menes was said also to have surrounded his chosen headquarters with dykes and diverted the Nile River which hitherto flowed through the sand hills of the Libyans range through an artificial channel dug between two mountains ranges. It was said, furthermore, that he built a lake around the white wall which was fed by the Nile River. A famous slate known as the palette of Menes (Cairo Museum) records his military triumph, Menes is sculpted in low relief on both faces. On one side he wears the white crown of Upper Egypt and on the other the red crown of Lower Egypt.
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