King from the beginning of Egyptian history, the founder of Egypt as a state by uniting the Two Lands, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. In the eyes of the ancient Egyptians, he was the first human pharaoh after dynasties of divine and semidivine kings. The main source of our knowledge about Menes is the Egyptian historian Manetho (beginning of the 3rd century BC). It is often assumed that Menes was a mythical figure, or else should be identified with the historical king Narmer or his successor Aha. The names of Narmer and Men are linked on jar seals found in Abydos (although some people think that the Men mentioned there does not mean the king, but rather the royal seal-bearer Meni). Men and Aha are mentioned together on an ivory object from Naqada. Virtually nothing is known of Menes himself. The Greek author Herodotus attributes the draining of the area around Memphis to him.