View source for Hor-Aha

{{short description|Egyptian pharaoh (First Dynasty)}}
{{Infobox pharaoh
| name           = '''Hor-Aha'''
| alt_name       = Aha
| image          = GlazedFiaenceVesselFragmentNameOfAha-BritishMuseum-August21-08.jpg
| image_alt      =
| caption        = [[Faience]] vessel fragment with [[serekh]] inscribed with the [[Ancient Egyptian royal titulary#Horus name|Horus-name]] "Aha", on display at the [[British Museum]].
| role           =
| reign          = c. 3085 BC
| dynasty        = [[First Dynasty of Egypt|1st Dynasty]]
| coregency      =
| predecessor    = [[Narmer]]
| successor      = [[Djer]]

| notes          =
| prenomen       =
| prenomen_hiero =
| nomen          = ''Teti''<br/>ttj<br />''Of true greatness''
| nomen_hiero    = <hiero>t-t-i</hiero>
| horus          = Hor-Aha<br />''Ḥrw-ꜥḥꜣ''<br />''Horus, the fighter''
| horus_hiero    = <hiero>D34</hiero>
| horus_prefix   = <!-- Default is <hiero>G5</hiero> -->
| nebty          =
| nebty_hiero    =
| golden         =
| golden_hiero   =

| spouse         = ''[[Benerib]], [[Khenthap]]''
| children       = ''[[Djer]]''
| father         = ''[[Narmer]] ?''
| mother         =
| birth_date     =
| death_date     =
| burial         = Chambers B10, B15, B19, [[Umm el-Qa'ab]]
| monuments      =
|Name=Hor-Aha|Alt=Aha <br/ > [[Menes]](?)}}

'''Hor-Aha''' (or '''Aha''' or '''Horus Aha'''; {{fl.|{{circa}} 3085 BC}})<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dee |first=Michael |last2=Wengrow |first2=David |last3=Shortland |first3=Andrew |last4=Stevenson |first4=Alice |last5=Brock |first5=Fiona |last6=Girdland Flink |first6=Linus |last7=Bronk Ramsey |first7=Christopher |date=2013-11-08 |title=An absolute chronology for early Egypt using radiocarbon dating and Bayesian statistical modelling |url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspa.2013.0395 |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |volume=469 |issue=2159 |article-number=20130395 |doi=10.1098/rspa.2013.0395 |pmc=3780825 |pmid=24204188}}</ref> is considered the second [[pharaoh]] of the [[First Dynasty of Egypt]] by some [[Egyptology|Egyptologists]], while others consider him the first one and corresponding to [[Menes]]. He lived around the 31st century BC and is thought to have had a long reign.

== Identity ==

===Name===
[[File:Abydos KL 01-02 n02.jpg|thumb|left|135px|'''Teti''', cartouche name of Hor-Aha in the [[Abydos King List]].]]
The commonly used name ''Hor-Aha'' is a rendering of the pharaoh's [[Ancient Egyptian royal titulary#Horus name|Horus-name]], an element of the [[Ancient Egyptian royal titulary|royal titulary]] associated with the god [[Horus]], and is more fully given as ''Horus-Aha'' meaning ''Horus the Fighter''.{{sfn|Edwards|1971|p=13}}

[[Manetho]]'s record ''[[Aegyptiaca]]'' (translating to History of Egypt) lists his Greek name as [[Athothis]], or "Athotís".

For the [[Early Dynastic Period (Egypt)|Early Dynastic Period]], the archaeological record refers to the pharaohs by their Horus-names, while the historical record, as evidenced in the [[Turin King List|Turin]] and [[Abydos King List|Abydos]] king lists, uses an alternative royal titulary, the [[Ancient Egyptian royal titulary#Nebty ("two ladies") name|''nebty''-name]].{{sfn|Edwards|1971|p=13}}{{sfn|Lloyd|1994|p=7}} The different titular elements of a pharaoh's name were often used in isolation, for brevity's sake, although the choice varied according to circumstance and period.{{sfn|Lloyd|1994|p=7}}

Mainstream Egyptological consensus follows the findings of [[Flinders Petrie]] in reconciling the two records and connects Hor-Aha (archaeological) with the ''nebty''-name {{lang|egy|Ity}} (historical).{{sfn|Edwards|1971|p=13}}{{sfn|Lloyd|1994|p=7}}{{sfn|Cervelló-Autuori|2003|p=174}}

[[File:C+B-Egypt-Fig10-TabletOfMenesFromNaqada.PNG|thumb|Inscription bearing Hor-Aha's serekh together with a Nebty-name expressed with the game-board hieroglyph, which could be read {{lang|egy|mn}}.]]
The same process has led to the identification of the historical [[Menes]] (a ''nebty''-name) with [[Narmer]] (a Horus-name) evidenced in the archaeological record (both figures are credited with the unification of Egypt and as the first pharaoh of Dynasty I) as the predecessor of Hor-Aha (the second pharaoh).{{sfn|Edwards|1971|p=13}}{{sfn|Lloyd|1994|p=7}}{{sfn|Cervelló-Autuori|2003|p=174}}

=== Theories ===
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.<ref name="Seidlayer">{{Cite book |last=Seidlmayer |first=Stephan |title=The Rise of the State to the Second Dynasty}}, quoted in {{cite book |title=Egypt: The World of the Pharaohs |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-8331-6000-4 |last1=Altenmüller |first1=Hartwig |publisher=H.f.ullmann }}</ref> 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.

== Reign ==

===Successor to Narmer===
Seal impressions discovered by [[Günter Dreyer]] in the [[Umm El Qa'ab]] from [[Den (pharaoh)|Den]] and [[Qa'a]] burials identify Hor-Aha as the second pharaoh of the first dynasty.{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|pp=69-70}} His predecessor [[Narmer]] had united [[Upper Egypt]] and [[Lower Egypt]] into a single kingdom, [[Upper and Lower Egypt]]. Hor-Aha probably ascended the throne in the mid [[31st century BC]].

===Interior policy===
Hor-Aha seems to have conducted many religious activities. A visit to a shrine of the goddess [[Neith]] is recorded on several tablets from his reign.<ref>W. M. Flinders Petrie: ''The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties 1901'', Part II, London 1901, Taf. X,2; XI,2</ref> The sanctuary of [[Neith]] he visited was located in the north-west of the Nile Delta at [[Sais, Egypt|Sais]].{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|p=291}} Furthermore, the first known representation of the sacred ''[[Hennu|Henu]]''-[[barque]] of the god [[Sokar|Seker]]- was found engraved on a year tablet dating from his reign.{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|p=291}}

[[File:Tombe-Nagada-de-Morgan.jpg|left|thumb|220px|Mastaba attributed to [[Neithhotep]] which is believed to have been built by Hor-Aha.]]

Vessel inscriptions, labels and sealings from the graves of Hor-Aha and Queen Neithhotep suggest that this queen died during the reign of Aha. He arranged for her burial in a magnificent [[mastaba]] excavated by [[Jacques de Morgan]].<ref>De Morgan ''Recherches sur les origines de l'Egypte II. Ethnographie préhistorique et tombeau royal de Negadah''</ref> Queen [[Neithhotep]] is plausibly Aha's mother<ref>Silke Roth: ''Die Königsmütter des Alten Ägypten von der Frühzeit bis zum Ende der 12. Dynastie.'' Wiesbaden 2001, S. 31–35</ref> The selection of the cemetery of Naqada as the resting place of Neithhotep is a strong indication that she came from this province. This, in turn, supports the view that Narmer married a member of the ancient royal line of Naqada to strengthen the domination of the Thinite kings over the region.{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|p=291}} However, in January 2016, a rock inscription demonstrated that Neithhotep was actually a queen regent early during the reign of [[Djer]], Hor-Aha's successor.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jarus |first=Owen |title=Early Egyptian Queen Revealed in 5,000-Year-Old Hieroglyphs |url=http://www.livescience.com/53406-early-egyptian-queen-revealed-in-hieroglyphs.html |work=Live Science}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 January 2016 |title=Photos: 5,000-Year-Old Hieroglyphs Discovered in Sinai Desert |url=http://www.livescience.com/53405-wadi-ameyra-photos.html |website=[[Live Science]]}}</ref> Therefore, the cemetery evidence only proves that Neithhotep did live during the reign of Hor-Aha but succeeded him into Djer's reign.

Most importantly, the oldest mastaba at the North Saqqara necropolis of [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]] dates to his reign. The mastaba belongs to an elite member of the administration who may have been a relative of Hor-Aha, as was customary at the time.{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|p=291}} This is a strong indication of the growing importance of Memphis during Aha's reign.

===Economic development===
Few artifacts remain of Hor-Aha's reign. However, the finely executed copper-axe heads, faience vessel fragments,<ref>F. Petrie Abydos, II, London: Egypt Exploration Fund. Memoir 23, A. J. Spencer ''Early Egypt: The rise of civilisation in the Nile Valley'', London: British Museum Press 1993</ref> ivory box and inscribed white marbles all testify to the flourishing of craftsmanship during Aha's time in power.{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|p=291}}

===Activities outside Egypt===
Inscription on an [[ivory]] tablet from Abydos suggests that Hor-Aha led an expedition against the [[Nubians]]. On a year tablet, a year is explicitly called 'Year of smiting of Ta-Sety' (i.e. Nubia).<ref>W. M. Flinders Petrie: ''The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties 1901'', Part II, London 1901, Taf. XI,1</ref>

During Hor-Aha's reign, trade with the [[Southern Levant]] seems to have been on the decline. Contrary to his predecessor Narmer, Hor-Aha is not attested outside of the Nile Valley. This may point to a gradual replacement of long-distance trade between Egypt and its eastern neighbors by a more direct exploitation of the local resources by the Egyptians. Vessel fragment analysis from an Egyptian outpost at [[Ein HaBesor|En Besor]] suggests that it was active during Hor-Aha's reign. Other Egyptian settlements are known to have been active at the time as well (Byblos and along the Lebanese coast). Finally, Hor-Aha's tomb yielded vessel fragments from the Southern Levant.{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|p=71}}

===Manetho===
According to the Egyptian priest [[Manetho]] (who lived over 2,600 years after Hor-Aha's reign), Aha built a palace in [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]] and was a skilled physician who wrote multiple books on anatomy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baker |first=Darrell D. |title=Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs Volume 1: Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty 3300-1069 BC |publisher=The American University in Cairo Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-977-416-221-3 |location=Egypt |page=8}}</ref>

== Family ==
{{main|First Dynasty of Egypt family tree}}
[[File:Ahasiegel.png|thumb|150px|Clay seal fragment bearing Hor-Aha's serekh together with ḥ and t signs, perhaps meant to signify a personal name ''Htj'']]

Hor-Aha's chief wife was [[Benerib]], whose name was "written alongside his on a number of [historical] pieces, in particular, from tomb B14 at [[Abydos, Egypt]]".{{sfn|Dodson|Hilton|2004}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Emery |first=Walter Bryan |title=Ägypten – Geschichte und Kultur der Frühzeit |pages=47ff}}</ref>{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|p=70}} Tomb B14 is located directly adjacent to Hor-Aha's sepulchre.{{sfn|Dodson|Hilton|2004|p=46}} Hor-Aha also had another wife, [[Khenthap]],<ref>[http://euler.slu.edu/~bart/egyptianhtml/kings%20and%20Queens/Queens_of_Egypt.html Queens of Egypt, informations based on the book ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt'']</ref> with whom he became father of Djer. She is mentioned as Djer's mother on the Cairo Annals Stone.

Hor-Aha's mother is believed to be [[Neithhotep]]. She is also believed to be wife of the late [[Narmer]] and possibly remarried one of Hor-Aha's top three Grand Viziers by the name of [[Rekhit]] after the death of Narmer. The massive Naqada tomb in which Neithhotep was believed to be buried has 10 inscriptions of her in it. The same tomb also has 15 inscriptions to [[Rekhit]].

==Tomb==
[[File:TombOfHorAha.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Hor-Aha's tomb comprises three chambers B10, B15 and B19, shown in inset. B14 could be the tomb of Hor-Aha's wife [[Benerib]].]]

The tomb of Hor-Aha is located in the necropolis of the kings of the 1st Dynasty at Abydos, known as the [[Umm el-Qa'ab]]. It comprises three large chambers (designated B10, B15, and B19), which are directly adjacent to Narmer's tomb.<ref>W. M. Flinders Petrie: ''The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties 1901'', Part II, London 1901, S. 7–8, Taf. LIX; and more recently: Werner Kaiser: ''Einige Bemerkungen zur ägyptischen Frühzeit'', In: ''Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde'' 91 (1964), 86–124, and 96–102</ref> The chambers are rectangular, directly dug in the desert floor, their walls lined with mud bricks.
The tombs of Narmer and Ka had only two adjacent chambers, while the tomb of Hor-Aha comprises three substantially larger yet separated chambers. The reason for this architecture is that it was difficult at that time to build large ceilings above the chambers, as timber for these structures often had to be imported from Canaan.

A striking innovation of Hor-Aha's tomb is that members of the royal household were buried with the pharaoh, the earliest known [[Ancient Egyptian retainer sacrifices|retainer sacrifices]] in Egypt. It is unclear if they were killed or committed suicide. Among those buried were servants, [[Dwarfs and pygmies in ancient Egypt|dwarfs]], women and even dogs. A total of 36 subsidiary burials were laid out in three parallel rows north-east of Hor-Aha's main chambers. As a symbol of royalty Hor-Aha was even given a group of young lions.
{{clear}}

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" widths="200px">
File:Kestner Museum 04.jpg|Cylinder vessel of Hor-Aha from Saqqara, First Dynasty; [[Museum August Kestner]].
File:Ägyptisches Museum Berlin 067.jpg|Copper tool bearing the [[serekh]] of Hor-Aha, on display at the [[Egyptian Museum of Berlin]].
File:Benerib.JPG|Ivory label inscribed with the serekh of Hor-Aha and bearing the name of his wife [[Benerib]].
File:Ahaplakette.png|Ivory label bearing the serekh of Hor-Aha. It reports the victory over the "arch-using ''[[Setjet]]''-folks" (center) and the visit at the domain "Horus thrives with the cattles" (right).
File:Hor Aha.jpg|Fragmented ebony label of Hor-Aha relating a visit of the king to the shrine of the goddess Neith of Sais in the Delta, [[British Museum]].
File:Label of King Aha.jpg|Label of King Aha, Abydos
</gallery>

==In popular culture==
* Episode 1 of season 4 of [[Franklin & Bash]], "The Curse of Hor-Aha" revolves around a rare Egyptian artifact and the protagonists trying to find it to get their boss back.
* ''Murder by the Gods: An Ancient Egyptian Mystery'' by William G. Collins is a thriller about Prince Aha (later king Hor-Aha), with Narmer as a supporting character.

==See also==
* [[Ancient Egypt]]
* [[Ancient Egyptian retainer sacrifices]]
* [[History of Egypt]]
* [[List of Pharaohs]]
* [[Pharaoh]]
* ''[[The Greatest Pharaohs]]''

== References==
{{Reflist}}

== Works cited ==
* {{Cite book |last=Cervelló-Autuori |first=Josep |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pJ48YP14qZQC |title=Egyptology at the dawn of the twenty-first century: proceedings of the Eighth International Congress of Egyptologists, Cairo, 2000 |publisher=The American University in Cairo Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-977-424-714-9 |volume=2 |location=Cairo |chapter=Narmer, Menes and the seals from Abydos}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dodson |first=Aidan |title=The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt |last2=Hilton |first2=Dyan |publisher=Thames & Hudson |year=2004}}
* {{Cite book |last=Edwards |first=I. E. S. |title=The Cambridge Ancient History |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1971 |volume=1 |location=Cambridge |chapter=The early dynastic period in Egypt |author-link=I. E. S. Edwards}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lloyd |first=Alan B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GQ7e1nuD9tcC |title=Herodotus: Book II |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|E. J. Brill]] |year=1994 |isbn=90-04-04179-6 |location=[[Leiden]] |orig-date=1975}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wilkinson |first=Toby A. H. |title=Early Dynastic Egypt |publisher=Routledge |year=1999 |isbn=0-415-18633-1}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Schulz |first=Regine |title=Egypt: The World of the Pharaohs |last2=Seidel |first2=Matthias |publisher=H.F. Ullmann |year=2004 |isbn=978-3-8331-6000-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Shaw |first=Ian |title=The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt |last2=Nicholson |first2=Paul |publisher=Harry N. Abrams |year=1995 |isbn=0-8109-9096-2}}

== External links ==
* [http://xoomer.virgilio.it/francescoraf/hesyra/2aha.htm Corpus of Wooden and Ivory Labels - Aha] by Francesco Raffaele

{{Pharaohs}}
{{First Dynasty of Ancient Egypt|state=expanded}}
{{Rulers of the Ancient Near East}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hor-Aha| ]]
[[Category:31st-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:Pharaohs of the First Dynasty of Egypt]]