# Who Was the First Documented Person? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 11, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029 "2003-09-11T20:03:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/21 "2003-09-12T06:57:27Z")
The study of the Harrapan culture has been marked by a large number of conflicting views, and a very small amount of verified archeological evidence. Some sites which show continuous occupation for over a thousand years were definitely settled well before 3000 BCE, but the extent to which the culture was unified is difficult to determine. The earliest studies had a very strong predisposition to accord responsibility for much of the Harrapan culture to association with the Sumerians, and even later cultures. There is little evidence to support that, and the more remote sites, in Pakistan, and Afghanistan have not been thoroughly or meticulously studied by modern methods, primarily because of the civil situation over the last half century. However some indigenous scholars have strong convictions that the culture grew from local roots in the Indus valley from as early as 6500 BCE. It’s a non starter for this thread, though, since a document no one can decipher is not much use in naming names from the dawn of written language. Tris ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/22 "2003-09-12T07:34:23Z")
**Well, to exhume yet again a hoary old SDMB joke, Eve, I can remember when you, Satan, and Adam (ARG220) were having a Great Debate about sin!** For real. Oh, and **Eve?** Thank you for my incredibly painful 22 hour labor. Biatch! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/23 "2003-09-12T13:12:50Z")
I believe that scientists have estimated that Dick Clark is between 3 and 4 million years old (give or take 500,000 years). Of course, the very early episodes of “American Bandstand” are no longer available, making confirmation impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/24 "2003-09-12T13:23:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fat Bald Guy \* > \*\*If anyone, I would think that **Eve** should know the answer to this. 😉 \*\* (Considers revealing **Eve’s** deep secret.) (Decides against it.) (Does it anyway.) One out of every five death rays sold in the state of New Jersey are sold by **Eve**. ---
**Author:** ![DuhCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@DuhCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DuhCow)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/25 "2003-09-12T17:05:29Z")
i don’t know if this helps, but my history book refers to the first known conquerer in history, sargon. he was king of the akkadians in northern babylonia. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/26 "2003-09-17T18:51:04Z")
Apart from Narmer, My wife has come up with a few other predynastic kings or chiefs of Egypt, from what is somtimes called Dynasty 0 (i.e. before Dynasty 1) According to the hieroglyphs their ‘names’ were king Scorpion king Crocodile Iri-Hor Ka Aha and king Catfish, also known as Narmer. We are talking approximately 3200-3000b.c. here so a little before Enmebaragisi (probably)… * * * SF worldbuilding at [http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html](http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html) ---
**Author:** ![pinkus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pinkus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/27 "2004-01-16T05:51:30Z")
Wait, foggy flashbacks to college history… Enkil & Enkidu are some where back in there… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/28 "2004-01-16T08:17:52Z")
The Gilgamesh epic is believed to be based on history, from everything I’ve ever heard. However, he lived about 2700 BCE, and I’m fairly sure the King Scorpion pottery and the first couple faces on the Wall of Kings (Menes, Narmur?) predate him. We seem to be accepting hieroglyphic documentation, so why not cave paintings? I’d wager at least a few of the Lascaux images represent actual individuals, rather than “men”. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/29 "2004-01-16T19:44:57Z")
So, it’s an old joke by now, but it was fun to see in the list of threads: > [@](#): > > Who Was the First Documented Person? > Eve Of course, Adam’s going to pissed when he sees that, not to mention Lilith. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/30 "2004-01-16T21:13:33Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > According to the hieroglyphs their ‘names’ were > king Scorpion > king Crocodile > … and king Catfish, also known as Narmer. You know, it can’t have been much fun for king Catfish when he met up with the others at royal parties … “OK, it makes sense that King Croc got his name because of his strength and power, and K.S. got his name because of his vicious sword skills. Now, why were you named after a carrion-eating bottom dweller again?” ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/31 "2004-01-17T01:43:29Z")
Just to add someone who wasn’t a king, I’ll go with Imhotep, the architect/physician who built the first Pyramid. Of Catfish, Narmer, and Menes, were they all the same person? I thought Menes was just the Greek name for Narmer. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029/32 "2004-01-17T01:47:31Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Hey, how old do you think I _am?_ I’m thinking at **least** 23. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-documented-person/201029.md?page=1)