What is the purpose of the palette of King Narmer?
Palette of King Narmer. This object depicts the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt into the "Kingdom of the Two Lands" under the divine king. This object is a ceremonial palette used in the ritual of mixing and applying the King's eye makeup. The palette is arranged in three easily read registers on the back and four on the front.
How does the palette confirm that Narmer was the true founder?
The majority of the images show Narmer’s military intelligence and absolute power. The palette was able to confirm that Narmer was the true founder of united Egypt because he is depicted wearing the white and red crowns on opposite sides, indicating geographical significance.
What is the back side of Narmer's Palette?
The other side of the palette (considered the back side) is a single, cohesive image of Narmer with his war club about to strike down an enemy he holds by the hair. Beneath his feet are two other men either dead or attempting to escape his wrath.
What are the symbols on the Narmer plate?
Early hieroglyphic symbols on the Narmer plate. Both sides of the Palette are decorated, carved in raised relief. At the top of both sides are the central serekhs bearing the rebus symbols n'r (catfish) and mr (chisel) inside, being the phonetic representation of Narmer's name.
Why was the Narmer Palette created?
Narmer was the first king of the First Dynasty of Egypt and the Narmer Palette was most likely created to celebrate his military victories over Lower Egypt. Narmer, then, was the first king of the First Dynasty of Egypt and the Narmer Palette was most likely created to celebrate his military victories over Lower Egypt.
Why is the Narmer Palette considered an important artifact?
The 'Narmer Palette' is important because it contains some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. It dates from the reign of the king c3100BC. Meaning: The meaning of the artefact refers to the unification of Egypt.
Why is Narmer important?
Narmer is often credited with the unification of Egypt by means of the conquest of Lower Egypt by Upper Egypt. While Menes is traditionally considered the first king of Ancient Egypt, Narmer has been identified by the majority of Egyptologists as the same person as Menes.
Who was Narmer and why was he important in Egyptian culture?
However, one name stands out: Narmer. Ancient sources agree that he was the first king, the one to unify Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. Here, we will explore the legacy of history's first Egyptian pharaoh.
Which symbolic images of wild animals appear on the Narmer Palette?
The use of catfish as a symbol can be traced back to one of the oldest Egyptian artifacts, the Narmer Palette, around 3000 BC. The palette depicts Narmer striking the enemy with a sceptre.
What is the greatest discoveries from the Egyptian civilization?
King Tut's tomb The tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt's Valley of the Kings is, arguably, the most famous archaeological discovery ever made. Unearthed in 1922 by a team led by Howard Carter, the tomb was filled with fantastic treasures, including Tutankhamun's death mask, which today is practically an icon.
What are two of the important features of the Palette of Narmer?
He holds a mace and a flail, two traditional symbols of kingship. To his right are the hieroglyphic symbols for his name, though not contained within a serekh.
Where is the Narmer Palette?
A ceremonial object, ritually buried The Narmer Palette was discovered in 1898 by James Quibell and Frederick Green. It was found with a collection of other objects that had been used for ceremonial purposes and then ritually buried within the temple at Hierakonpolis.
How long did Narmer rule for?
In 3150 B.C, he was able to unify both upper and lower Egypt as shown on the legendary Narmer Palette. His name means "The One Who Endures" and his reign lasted for 62 years.
What story does the Narmer Palette tell?
This object depicts the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt into the "Kingdom of the Two Lands" under the divine king. This object is a ceremonial palette used in the ritual of mixing and applying the King's eye makeup.
Who is depicted on the Palette of Narmer?
MenesThe Narmer Palette is a ceremonial engraving depicting the first dynasty king Narmer (Menes) defeating his enemies and uniting Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. It also acts as a perfect example of the primitive artistic design of the 31st century BC.
Who was the first girl Pharaoh?
SobeknefruDespite evidence that some women held kingly powers during the third millennium BC, the first universally accepted female pharaoh is Sobeknefru. Daughter of Amenemhat III, who she succeeded in c1789 BC to rule for approximately four years, Sobeknefru appeared on official king lists for centuries after her death.
What are two of the important features of the palette of Narmer?
He holds a mace and a flail, two traditional symbols of kingship. To his right are the hieroglyphic symbols for his name, though not contained within a serekh.
Who is depicted on the palette of Narmer?
MenesThe Narmer Palette is a ceremonial engraving depicting the first dynasty king Narmer (Menes) defeating his enemies and uniting Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. It also acts as a perfect example of the primitive artistic design of the 31st century BC.
What mythological creature is represented on the palette twice?
The face of a woman with the horns and ears of a cow, representing Hathor or Bat, appears twice at the top of the palette and in a row below the belt of the king.
What was the primary purpose of most Egyptian funerary art?
In considering the clear sculptural qualities of Late period work one should never overlook the primary purpose of most Egyptian sculpture: to represent the individual in death before Osiris, or in life and death before the deities of the great temples.
Where was the Narmer Palette found?
The Narmer palette is a finely decorated plate of schist of about 64 cm high. It was found in a deposit in Hierakonpolis, a Predynastic capital located in the South of Egypt, during the excavation season of 1897/98. Its size, weight and the fact that it was decorated on both sides show that it was a ceremonial, commemorative rather than an actual cosmetic palette intended for daily use. It is a key piece in the identification of Menes, the almost legendary first king to have ruled over the whole of Egypt.
What are the four standard bearers in Narmer?
The left-most standard represents some kind of animal skin, the second a dog and the next two a falcon. These standards might be the emblems of the royal house of Na rmer, or of the regions that already belonged to his kingdom.
What was the name of the region that Narmer conquered?
If this name has remained the same throughout the history of Ancient Egypt, then the region conquered by Narmer was the Mareotis region, the 7th Lower-Egyptian province. The two signs in front of the probable name of the region, the wing of a door and a sparrow are thought to mean 'create' or 'found'.
What does the falcon's nose mean?
The hook with which the falcon appears to be pulling at the personified marshland's nose, symbolises the breath of life that it takes out of the fallen land. The mention of a marshland on the palette has very often been seen as a reference to the marshy lands of the Nile Delta, Lower Egypt.
What does the king hold in his left hand?
The king holds a mace in his left hand, while his right arm is bent over his chest, holding some kind of flail. He is followed by the same bald figure that holds sandals in his left hand and some kind of basket in his right. A rectangle above this sandal-bearer's head contains a sign of uncertain meaning.
What is the significance of the Menes necklace?
It is a key piece in the identification of Menes, the almost legendary first king to have ruled over the whole of Egypt.
What is the military symbolism on the palette?
The overall military symbolism on the palette is clear. Using different types of imagery, the king is shown again and again as victorious over his enemies. He is shown striking down a kneeling enemy, whilst stepping on the bodies of some other foes on the palette's back. On the front of the palette, he is represented overlooking the decapitated corpses of his foes or as a bull vigorously trampling an enemy and breaking down the walls of a city or a fortress.
What are the symbols on the Narmer Palette?
Early hieroglyphic symbols on the Narmer Palette. Both sides of the Palette are decorated, carved in raised relief. At the top of both sides are the central serekhs bearing the rebus symbols n'r (catfish) and mr (chisel) inside, being the phonetic representation of Narmer's name.
What does Narmer wear in the Palette?
A large picture in the center of the Palette depicts Narmer wielding a mace wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt (whose symbol was the flowering lotus).
How tall is the Narmer Palette?
The Narmer Palette is a 63-centimetre-tall (2.07 ft), shield-shaped, ceremonial palette, carved from a single piece of flat, soft dark gray-green siltstone. The stone has often been wrongly identified, in the past, as being slate or schist.
What is a palette used for?
Palettes were typically used for grinding cosmetics, but this palette is too large and heavy (and elaborate) to have been created for personal use and was probably a ritual or votive object, specifically made for donation to, or use in, a temple.
Where was the Palette found?
Quibell and Frederick W. Green, in what they called the Main Deposit in the Temple of Horus at Nekhen, during the dig season of 1897–98. Also found at this dig were the Narmer Macehead and the Scorpion Macehead. The exact place and circumstances of these finds were not recorded very clearly by Quibell and Green. In fact, Green's report placed the Palette in a different layer one or two yards away from the deposit, which is considered to be more accurate on the basis of the original excavation notes. It has been suggested that these objects were royal donations made to the temple. Nekhen, or Hierakonpolis, was one of four power centers in Upper Egypt that preceded the consolidation of Upper Egypt at the end of the Naqada III period. Hierakonpolis's religious importance continued long after its political role had declined. Palettes were typically used for grinding cosmetics, but this palette is too large and heavy (and elaborate) to have been created for personal use and was probably a ritual or votive object, specifically made for donation to, or use in, a temple. One theory is that it was used to grind cosmetics to adorn the statues of the deities.
What is the meaning of the tablet of the king?
The tablet is thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the king Narmer. On one side, the king is depicted with the bulbed White Crown of Upper (southern) Egypt, and the other side depicts the king wearing the level Red Crown of Lower (northern) Egypt. Along with the Scorpion Macehead and the Narmer Maceheads, ...
What is the recto side of the narmer?
Recto side. Narmer Palette (recto) As on the other side, two human-faced bovine heads, thought to represent the patron cow goddess Bat, flank the serekhs. The goddess Bat is, as she often was, shown in portrait, rather than in profile as is traditional in Egyptian relief carving.
What does Narmer control?
The implication is that Narmer controls the servants who, in turn, control the cats —another declaration of authority. Narmer appears in the bottom scene in the guise of a bull (Egyptian gods could also change their shape) and crushes a rebellious town.
Who is the cow goddess in Narmer?
Two other enemies lie dead in the lowest register. Narmer's divine authority is shown by: two images of Hathor, the cow goddess, benevolently looking down on the scene, showing the status of Narmer as an equal (Narmer's name, in early hieroglyphics is between the two images of Hathor.
Which pyramids were in the Palette of Narmer?
Palette of King Narmer, The Great Pyramids of Giza , Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Khafre... View more
What was the function of the pyramids?
What was the function of the pyramids? In other words, why were they built? The function of the pyramid is as a mortuary for the rulers of Egypt.
What does the shape of the pyramid reference?
What does the shape of the pyramid reference? The shape of the pyramid reference the sun.
Overview
The Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette or the Palette of Narmer, is a significant Egyptian archeological find, dating from about the 31st century BC, belonging, at least nominally, to the category of cosmetic palettes. It contains some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. The tablet is thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under …
Description
The Narmer Palette is a 63-centimetre-tall (2.07 ft), shield-shaped, ceremonial palette, carved from a single piece of flat, soft dark gray-green siltstone. The stone has often been wrongly identified, in the past, as being slate or schist. Slate is layered and prone to flaking, and schist is a metamorphic rock containing large, randomly distributed mineral grains. Both are unlike the finely grained, h…
Scholarly debate
The Palette has raised considerable scholarly debate over the years. In general, the arguments fall into one of two camps: scholars who believe that the Palette is a record of an important event, and other academics who argue that it is an object designed to establish the mythology of united rule over Upper and Lower Egypt by the king. It had been thought that the Palette either depicted the unification of Lower Egypt by the king of Upper Egypt, or recorded a recent military success o…
In popular culture
The Narmer Palette is featured in the 2009 film Watchmen as one of the Egyptian objects that are present in Ozymandias's office. The Australian author Jackie French used the Palette, and recent research into Sumerian trade routes, to create her historical novel Pharaoh (2007). The Palette is featured in manga artist Yukinobu Hoshino's short story "The temple of El Alamein". The Palette is also featured in The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan where the palette is fetched by a magical sha…
See also
• List of ancient Egyptian palettes
• Libyan Palette (another well-known Predynastic Egyptian palette)
• Warka Vase (a comparable contemporaneous work of narrative relief sculpture from the Sumerian civilisation)
Bibliography
• Brier, Bob (2001). "The First Nation in History". History of Ancient Egypt. The Teaching Company.
• Friedman, Renée (2001). "Hierakonpolis". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 98–100, volume 2..
• Hendrickx, Stan (2017). "Narmer Palette Bibliography" (PDF)..
Further reading
• Bard, Kathryn A., ed. Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. London: Routledge, 1999.
• Brewer, Douglas J. Ancient Egypt: Foundations of a Civilization. Harlow, UK: Pearson, 2005.
• Davis, Whitney. Masking the Blow: The Scene of Representation In Late Prehistoric Egyptian Art. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.
Facts About The Narmer Palette
- Between 3200 and 3000 BC, the Narmer Palette was carved on both sides from a single piece of smooth grayish-green siltstone. The palette depicts the king’s Narmer victory in battle and his unification of Egypt after receiving approval from the ancient Egyptian holy gods. The palette is 63.5 cm (2.2 ft) tall and contains ambiguous scenes of King Men...
Narmer Palette Information
- British archaeologists discovered the Narmer Palette at the temple of Horus in Nekhen in 1897 CE. It housed many scenes regarded as highly symbolic and evidence of some of history’s oldest events. Narmer is depicted on the palette’s reverse wearing the red wicker war crown of upper Egypt, indicating that lower Egypt has fallen under his control. The palette’s largest engravings d…
Symbolism in The Narmer Palette
- The Narmer palette’s symbolism is extremely high, with the use of various types of imagery, which explains why it has been called the world’s first historical document. The majority of the images show Narmer’s military intelligence and absolute power. The palette was able to confirm that Narmer was the true founder of united Egypt because he is depicted wearing the white and red c…
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- The Narmer palette is housed in the magical Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where anyone can explore its incredible beauty and witness all of the historical artifacts in the magical cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, and Aswan as part of our Egypt private tours.