Hor-Aha

Hor-Aha
Africanus: Athôthis Eusebius: Athôthis, Athothis
Faience vessel fragment inscribed with the name of the pharaoh Hor-Aha, on display at the British Museum
Pharaoh of Egypt
Reign	Dates unknown,  1st Dynasty
Predecessor	Narmer or Menes?
Successor	Djer
Royal titulary Horus name: Hor-aha The fighting hawk Nebty name: men Established
Children	Djer? with Queen Benerib
Father	Probably Narmer
Mother	Probably Queen Neithhotep
Monuments	Temple to Neith at Sais

Hor-Aha is considered the second pharaoh of the first dynasty of Ancient Egypt in current Egyptology. He lived around the thirty-first century BC. The two logographic glyphs used to write his name are roughly translated as Hor, (a reference to the hawk deity, Horus), and Aha, meaning "to fight".

Around the thirty-second century BC, his father, Narmer, had united Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Hor-Aha (whose birth name is transliterated as Ity or Iteti, Hor-Aha being his "Horus" or throne name) became pharaoh at about the age of thirty and ruled until he was about sixty-two years old.^{[citation needed]} Legend had it that he was carried away by a hippopotamus, the embodiment of the deity Seth. Provided that Hor-Aha was the legendary Menes, another story has it that Hor-Aha was killed by a hippopotamus while hunting.

There has been some controversy about Hor-Aha. Some believe him to be the same individual as the legendary Menes and that he was the one to unify all of Egypt. Others claim he was the son of Narmer, the pharaoh who unified Egypt. Narmer and Menes may have been one pharaoh, referred to with more than one name. Regardless, considerable historical evidence from the period points to Narmer as the pharaoh who first unified Egypt (see Narmer Palette) and to Hor-Aha as his son and heir.

Hor-Aha's queen was most likely Benerib, whose name was "written alongside his on a number of [historical] pieces, in particular, from tomb B14 at Abydos, Egypt".^[1] Tomb B14 is located directly adjacent to Hor-Aha's sepulchre.^[2]

References

• Toby A. H. Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt, Routledge, London/New York 1999, ISBN 0-415-18633-1, 70-71

See also

• Ancient Egypt
• Pharaoh
• First dynasty of Egypt
• Narmer
• Menes
• History of Egypt
• The Greatest Pharaohs
• List of Pharaohs

v • d • e Notable List of pharaohs Early Dynastic Period of Egypt rulers Narmer · Menes · Hor-Aha · Djer · Khasekhemwy Old Kingdom rulers Djoser · Sneferu · Khufu · Khafra · Menkaura · Sahure · Pepi II Middle Kingdom of Egypt rulers Mentuhotep II · Amenemhat I · Senusret I · Senusret III · Amenemhat III · Sobekneferu Second Intermediate Period rulers Khendjer · Neferhotep I · Sobekhotep IV · Ay · Nebiriau I · Apophis · Sobekemsaf II · Intef VII · Seqenenre · Kamose New Kingdom rulers Ahmose I · Hatshepsut · Thutmose III · Amenhotep II · Amenhotep III · Akhenaten · Tutankhamun · Seti I · Ramesses II · Ramesses III Third Intermediate Period of Egypt rulers Psusennes I · Siamun · Shoshenq I · Osorkon II · Shoshenq III · Osorkon III · Piye · Tefnakht · Shabaka · Taharqa Other rulers Psamtik I · Necho II · Ahmose II · Nepherites I · Nectanebo I · Alexander the Great · Ptolemy I · Ptolemy II · Ptolemy XIII · Cleopatra VII Consorts Tetisheri · Ahhotep I · Ahmose-Nefertari · Ahmose · Tiye · Nefertiti · Ankhesenamen · Nefertari · Mark Antony Court officials Imhotep · Weni · Sobeknakht II · Ahmose-Ebana · Ineni · Senenmut · Rekhmire · Yuya · Amenhotep, son of Hapu  · Maya · Yuny · Bay · Manetho · Pothinus