The earliest Pharaoh I have listed is the rather peculiarly named 'Scorpion'. This Pharaoh is believed to have reigned upper Egypt from around 3150 BC, and evidence of his existence was found by an archeologist by the name of J.E. Quibell.
Quibell was excavating Hierakonpolis (the ancient city of Nekhen in upper Egypt) in 1897, where he found many remarkable items. Among these were sculpted palettes and maceheads, which proved to be very important 'documents' from the early dynastic period.
The pieces represented two the two pharaohs Scorpion and Narmer. Scorpion was so called due to the fragmented 'Scorpion Macehead'. This artifact shows a pharaoh wearing the white crown of upper Egypt (hedjet) and ritual clothing with a ceremonial bull's tail hanging from his belt. In front of the pharaoh's face is a scorpion which presumably gives the pharaoh a name.
The macehead also shows lapwing birds hanging by their necks. The name for these small birds is rekhyt which means 'common people', which could mean that the common people of the land had been conquered by the new 'scorpion' king.
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