Although King Aha, now recognized as the first king of the First Dynasty, proclaimed his martial qualities in his name which means ‘Fighter’, he seems to have been a notable conciliator, the reconciler of opposing factions. He ruled long and wisely. He was a great builder, always one of the proudest activities of a King of Egypt. He honoured in particular the creator god, the supreme craftsman, Ptah of Memphis: it seems that Ptah was particularly linked with the Thinite house. So enduring was Aha’s memory that Manetho recorded that the Egyptians maintained that from him (or rather from the king in Manetho’s list who is identified with Aha) they learned to worship the gods and to live together in a civilized manner. It is recorded that he died in the sixty-third year of his reign, from injuries which he received in a hippopotamus hunt.
Two features mark the tomb at Saqqara which is attributed to his reign31 from others in the same place; on one side was laid out a small model estate, showing farm buildings, granaries, and other agricultural structures, to remind the owner of the tomb no doubt of the pleasures of the Egyptian countryside and to ensure him an adequate supply of produce for eternity. Close by was the first of what was to become a long line of an enduring aspect of Egyptian funerary practices, the burial of a boat for a king or great prince, to enable him to travel to the eternal realms, beyond the imperishable, ever-circling stars. The boat burial of Aha’s reign is the earliest surviving example of this practice.
Aha’s name is written with a falcon grasping a mace, with a pear-shaped head; this ideogram is supported by a shield. The macehead may stand for the new weapon with which the Falcon and his followers imposed their will on the people of the Valley. His name appears on a faience plaque, early evidence of one of the most long-lasting Egyptian crafts.
World History
