The Ancient Egyptian kings are known as Pharaohs; however, this was not the name they were known by during that era. It is not very easy to enumerate and name the kings of Ancient Egypt in a proper and chronological order since the area was governed by more than one ruler.

The word pharaoh is not Egyptian in origin but Greek and was first used in the Bible. The meaning of the word is Peraa, which means great house, which referred to the palatial resident of the ruler. This started being used in 1450 B.C, although it started being used in common parlance a few hundred years later. The ancient Egyptian word for a king was ‘Nesu’.

Egyptian Kings

Ancient Egyptian mythology states that the kings were actually the popular gods and deities of that time. It is not known whether these gods turned kings did really exist or were merely legends and over what part of ancient Egypt they governed. It is during the Pre-dynastic time wherein the historians were able to figure out individual kings who ruled north and south Egypt.

Menes is held to have been the very first pharaoh of a united Egypt, however, there is not much evidence in this regard since there is also the belief that Menes could have been a combination of many Egyptian Kings. Others think it was Narmer or Aha, both of whose names have been found in various texts and records. The system of monarchs remained strong in Ancient Egypt for 3000 years the reign terminating with Cleopatra. There are around hundred and seventy known pharaohs of this time.

Contrary to popular practice and the norm in most civilizations, the king was not always a male, ancient Egypt was ruled by many women who were known as kings. For example, Hatesphut, Cleopatra, etc, were two of the more noteworthy rulers of ancient Egypt. Politics was a game woman played openly in Egypt, unlike behind the throne policy applied by many ambitious women over the ages.

Egyptian Kings

The king was the figurative as well as actual head of the state. The entire administration and its components with its powers were vested in the king. Be it civil, military or religious activity, the king was the ultimate head and his word was the law. His orders and edicts had to be carried out at any cost. In matters of war, administration, religious practices, rites and rituals, offerings, everything was done in his name.

He also held the title of the main priest in all temples. The pharaoh was considered God incarnate, a divine ruler. The theory being that God took a form of a human, that is the future pharaoh’s father and gave birth to the king. However, this theory could have been propagated to hold together the threads of the civilization of people who were in all ways isolated from other cultures and state practices.