Pharaoh was the title for the man (and, in a few cases, woman) who was king (or queen), high priest and ruler of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was more than just a ruler: he was almost a god, descended from Re, the sun god. They believed that the spirit of the falcon god Horus entered the pharaoh at his coronation. When he died, his spirit united with the god of the Afterlife, Osiris, and Horus’s spirit passed to the next pharaoh.

Governing Egypt

The pharaoh had absolute power, but he had to rely on his ministers to help him govern Egypt. His most important official was the vizier, his “prime minister”. As god-king, the pharaoh was the chief priest of every god in Egypt. All offerings to the gods were made in his name. The pharaoh was entrusted by the gods with keeping order in the land. Known as ma’at, the principle of justice and mercy was one that even the pharaoh himself was obliged to respect. He was also responsible for ensuring that offerings were made to the gods so that they would continue to bless Egypt with floods, and thus provide the harvest on which all his people depended for their livelihoods.

The first pharaoh

About 3100 BC, the strip of land extending from the mouths of the Nile southwards for several hundred kilometres came under the rule of single king. Before that, Egypt was divided into Lower Egypt, the area around the Nile Delta, and Upper Egypt, the Nile valley to the south. Historical records tell us that the king who unified Egypt was probably named Menes. It is likely that he also went by the name of Narmer. A decorated stone slab, called the Narmer Palette, records this king’s victory over Lower Egypt in about 3100 BC.

Double Crown

The pharaoh wore the Double Crown (pschent), which showed his authority to rule the two lands, Upper and Lower Egypt. It combined the White Crown (hedjet) worn in Upper Egypt, in the south and the Red Crown (deshret) worn in Lower Egypt. The uraeus cobra on the rim of the crown represented the eye of Re, placed upon his brow to protect him against his enemies.

Symbols of kingship

The royal regalia were symbols of the pharaoh’s kingship. The most important items were the crook and flail. The crook was used by shepherds: it symbolized the pharaoh’s duty to protect his people. The pharaoh’s crook was gold-plated and reinforced with blue copper bands. The flail, a whip, symbolized the pharaoh’s power to punish his enemies.