Editing Narmer (section)

===Peak of Egyptian presence in Canaan===
According to {{harvnb|Manetho}} (quoted in [[Eusebius]] (Fr. 7(a))), "Menes made a foreign expedition and won renown." If this is correct (and assuming it refers to Narmer), it was undoubtedly to the land of [[Canaan]] where Narmer's ''serekh'' has been identified at nine different sites. An Egyptian presence in Canaan predates Narmer, but after about 200 years of active presence in Canaan,{{Sfn | Anđelković | 1995 | p = 72}} Egyptian presence peaked during Narmer's reign and quickly declined afterwards. The relationship between Egypt and Canaan "began around the end of the fifth millennium and apparently came to an end sometime during the Second Dynasty when it ceased altogether."{{sfn|Braun|2011|p=105}} It peaked during Dynasty 0 through the reign of Narmer.{{sfn|Anđelković|2011|p=31}} Dating to this period are 33 Egyptian ''serekhs'' found in Canaan,{{sfn|Anđelković|2011|p=31}} among which 20 have been attributed to Narmer. Prior to Narmer, only one ''serekh'' of Ka and one inscription with Iry-Hor's name have been found in Canaan.{{sfn|Jiménez-Serrano|2007|p=370, Table 8}} The ''serekhs'' earlier than Iry-Hor are either generic ''serekhs'' that do not refer to a specific king, or are for kings not attested in Abydos.{{sfn |Anđelković|2011|p=31}} Indicative of the decline of Egyptian presence in the region after Narmer, only one ''serekh'' attributed to his successor, Hor-Aha, has been found in Canaan.{{sfn|Anđelković|2011|p=31}} Even this one example is questionable, Wilkinson does not believe there are any ''serekhs'' of Hor-Aha outside Egypt{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|p=71}} and very few ''serekhs'' of kings for the rest of the first two dynasties have been found in Canaan.{{sfn|Wilkinson|1999|pp=71–105}}

The Egyptian presence in Canaan is best demonstrated by the presence of pottery made from Egyptian Nile clay and found in Canaan,{{efn| During the summer of 1994, excavators from the [[Nahal Tillah]] expedition, in southern [[Israel]], discovered an incised ceramic [[sherd]] with the ''serekh'' sign of Narmer. The sherd was found on a large circular platform, possibly the foundations of a storage silo on the Halif Terrace. Dated to {{circa}} 3000 BC, mineralogical studies conducted on the sherd conclude that it is a fragment of a wine jar which had been imported from the [[Nile]] valley to [[Canaan]].{{Sfn | Levy | van den Brink | Goren | Alon | 1995 | pp = 26–35}}}} as well as pottery made from local clay, but in the Egyptian style. The latter suggests the existence of Egyptian colonies rather than just trade.{{sfn|Porat|1986–87|p=109}}

The nature of Egypt's role in Canaan has been vigorously debated, between scholars who suggest a military invasion{{sfn|Yadin|1955}} and others proposing that only trade and colonization were involved. Although the latter has gained predominance,{{sfn|Porat|1986–87|p=109}}{{sfn|Campagno|2008|pp=695–696}} the presence of fortifications at [[Tell es-Sakan]] dating to Dynasty 0 through early Dynasty 1 period, and built almost entirely using an Egyptian style of construction, demonstrate that there must have also been some kind of Egyptian military presence.{{sfn|de Miroschedji|2008|pp=2028–2029}}{{full citation needed|date=April 2025}}

Regardless of the nature of Egypt's presence in Canaan, control of trade to (and through) Canaan was important to Ancient Egypt. Narmer probably did not establish Egypt's initial influence in Canaan by a military invasion, but a military campaign by Narmer to re-assert Egyptian authority, or to increase its sphere of influence in the region, is certainly plausible. In addition to the quote by Manetho, and the large number of Narmer ''serekhs'' found in Canaan, a recent reconstruction of a box of Narmer's by Dreyer may have commemorated a military campaign in Canaan.{{sfn|Dreyer|2016|p=104}} It may also represent just the presentation of tribute to Narmer by Canaanites.{{sfn|Dreyer|2016|p=104}}