THE FIRST PHARAOH

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 48, 26 February 1938, Page 8

THE FIRST PHARAOH

POSSIBLE FIND OF TOMB

A tomb has been found at Sakkara which may well prove to ■be the original burial place of Aha Menes, first king of the first Dynasty of the historical kings of Egypt, which he founded, says the Cairo correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph and Morning Post." '

Historians are at variance as to the date of his reign, but it is generally regarded as being about 3500 B.C. 1

A small rectangular brick chamber containing objects bearing the Royal name, which was discovered many years ago at Abydos, has hitherto been regarded as the Royal necropolis of the first Dynasty.

The tomb at Sakkara was.found to have been rifled, but it contained alabaster vases inscribed with the" ban-ner-name and surmounted by the Horus hawk of Aha, who is identified with King Menes,

The Abydos tomb, when found, merely contained objects, but the Sakkara tomb cpntains the skeleton of an old . man, and since, according to Manetho, the Egyptian historian, Menes reigned for sixty-two years, the discovery is at. least a curious coincidence.

Often in early times two tombs were made in different places for each king —one being his burial place, and the other his cenotaph. -'An illustration of this is provided by the pyramids of Senefru, first King of the fourth Dynasty, at Meydum, in Fayum, and Dahshur.

Although Sakkara is regarded as a somewhat later necropolis, more recent discoveries there have shown the existence of first Dynasty tombs —for example, Hemaka, Chancellor of Den, third King of the first Dynasty,