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Thinis

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EntityQ1153959· pop 39· linked from 123 articles

Also known as Tjenu

Thinis (Greek: Θίνις Thinis, Θίς This ; Egyptian: Tjenu; ; ) was the capital city of pre-unification Upper Egypt. Thinis remains undiscovered but is well attested by ancient writers, including the classical historian Manetho, who cites it as the centre of the Thinite Confederacy, a tribal confederation whose leader, Menes (or Narmer), united Egypt and was its first pharaoh. Thinis began a steep decline in importance when the capital was relocated to Memphis, which was thought to be the first true and stable capital after the unification of Egypt by Menes. Thinis's location on the border of th

Key facts

Settlement.name
Thinis
Settlement.native_name
Tjenu
Settlement.native_name_lang
egy
Settlement.settlement_type
Lost city
Settlement.pushpin_map
Egypt
Settlement.pushpin_label_position
bottom
Settlement.pushpin_mapsize
250px
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
Approximate location (at Girga) in modern Egypt
Settlement.subdivision_type
Country
Settlement.subdivision_name
Ancient Egypt
Settlement.subdivision_type1
Nome
Settlement.subdivision_name1
Nome VIII of Upper Egypt
Settlement.government_type
Nomarch (Old Kingdom)Mayor (New Kingdom)
Settlement.established_title
earliest evidence
Settlement.established_date
c. 4000 BC

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inception
4000-00-00
Commons category
Tjenu
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Article

10 sections
Contents
  • Name and location
  • History
  • Pre-dynastic period
  • Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom to Second Intermediate Period
  • New Kingdom and Late Period
  • Religion
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • Bibliography

Thinis (Greek: Θίνις Thinis, Θίς This ; Egyptian: Tjenu; ; ) was the capital city of pre-unification Upper Egypt. Thinis remains undiscovered but is well attested by ancient writers, including the classical historian Manetho, who cites it as the centre of the Thinite Confederacy, a tribal confederation whose leader, Menes (or Narmer), united Egypt and was its first pharaoh. Thinis began a steep decline in importance when the capital was relocated to Memphis, which was thought to be the first true and stable capital after the unification of Egypt by Menes. Thinis's location on the border of the competing Heracleopolitan and Theban dynasties of the First Intermediate Period and its proximity to certain oases of possible military importance ensured Thinis some continued significance in the Old and New Kingdoms. This was a brief respite and Thinis eventually lost its position as a regional administrative centre by the Roman period.

Due to its ancient heritage, Thinis remained a significant religious centre, housing the tomb and mummy of the regional deity. In ancient Egyptian religious cosmology, as seen (for example) in the Book of the Dead, Thinis played a role as a mythical place in heaven.

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