Pharaoh

: This article refers to the historical pharaoh. For pharaoh in the Book of Abraham, see Pharaoh (Book of Abraham); for the book by Boleslaw Prus, see Faraon; for the computer game see Pharaoh (computer game)

Open problems

There are several open problems concerning ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Below are just a few:

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• It is unknown who was the first pharaoh of Egypt. It may have been the Pharaoh Menes or Narmer. Narmer is attested archaeologically, but Menes is not; it is possible that Menes is mythological, or that Menes and Narmer are the same person. If Menes existed as a separate person from Narmer, it is unknown which of them came first.
• Scholars have wondered whether Ramesses II defended Egypt against the Sea People because they were invading, or if they were people fleeing to Egypt in the middle of a war. It is unclear whether Ramesses III or Amenemhat I were asassinated.
• The exact circumstances surrounding the dissapearance of Akhenaten's wife, Nefertiti, are unknown. The body of Akhenaten himself has not been found, and it is unknown if Akhenaten was killed or exiled. The exact nature of what Akhenaten believed is also still debated by scholars. The parentage of the next pharaoh, Tutankamun, is uncertain, and the date and nature of his death is unknown.
• What happened to Hatshepsut is unknown and Hatshepsut's relationship with Senenmut is debated.
• While it is clear Cleopatra was Greek and not Egyptian, her father was Ptolemy XII Auletes, it is unclear who her mother was, probably Ptolemy's half sister Cleopatra Selene. Contrary to a popular (though while interesting) idea, there is no evidence to suggest she was black or even half-black, and some evidence suggesting against it in the form of contemporary statuary, coinage, and the fact Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans would probably not tolerate a black ruler.
• Little is known about the reign of Pharaoh Smendes I's, and it is possible that Egypt split during his governance.
• It is unclear if Khababash of the Thirtieth Dynasty was a true pharaoh, and his origins are also a mystery.
• It is unknown if Necho II really sent out an expedition, which sailed from the Red Sea around Africa back to the mouth of the Nile.
• There are a questions concerning the practices among Egyptians regarding their pharaohs. There's a question as to whether the Pharaoh was really seen as a god or if the postion he held was just viewed as divine. It is not known for certain if the pharaohs married their sisters.