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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, containing some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. It is thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the pharaoh Narmer. On one side the king is depicted with the crown of one area and on the other side the king wears the crown of the other. Egyptologist Bob Brier has referred to the Narmer Palette as "the first historical document in the world".[1] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2761x1953, 1870 KB) Image:NarmerPalette ROM.jpg by Captmondo, gamma adjusted to bring out more detail at lower resolutions File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Narmer Narmer...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2761x1953, 1870 KB) Image:NarmerPalette ROM.jpg by Captmondo, gamma adjusted to bring out more detail at lower resolutions File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Narmer Narmer...
In logic (and usually without being paired with reverse), obverse has a meaning close to contrapositive. ...
In logic (and usually without being paired with reverse), obverse has a meaning close to contrapositive. ...
The Royal Ontario Museum, commonly known as the ROM (rhyming with Tom), is a major museum for world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...
(32nd century BC – 31st century BC – 30th century BC – other centuries) (5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC) Events c. ...
A section of the Papyrus of Ani showing cursive hieroglyphs. ...
Map of Upper and Lower Egypt Ancient Egypt was divided into two kingdoms, known as Upper and Lower Egypt. ...
Map of Lower and Upper Egypt Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. ...
Narmer was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled in the 31st century BC. Thought to be the successor to the predynastic Serket, he is considered by some to be the founder of the First dynasty, and therefore the first pharaoh of all Egypt. ...
// Background Dr. Robert Brier (b. ...
The palette, which survived intact, was discovered by British archeologists James E. Quibell and Frederick W. Green in what they called the main deposit in the temple of Horus at Hierakonpolis during the dig season of 1897/1898[2]. Also found at this dig were the Narmer Macehead and the Scorpion Macehead. Unfortunately 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.[3] It has been suggested that these objects were royal donations made to the temple.[4] Hierakonpolis was the ancient capital of Upper Egypt during the pre-dynastic Naqada III phase of Egyptian history. Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ...
James Edward Quibell (1867 – 1935) was a British Egyptologist, who worked at a number of sites throughout Egypt. ...
Frederick W. Green (1869 – 1949)was a British Egyptologist, who worked at a number of sites throughout Egypt. ...
The Main deposit was a foundation deposit of particular note in a temple (presumably of Horus) in Nekhen. ...
For other uses, see Horus (disambiguation). ...
Nekhen (Greek: Hierakonpolis, Arabic: Kom El-Ahmar) was the religious capital of Upper Egypt at the end of the pre-dynastic era ( 3200- 3100 BC.) and probably also during the Early Dynastic Era ( 3100 - 2686 BC). ...
The Narmer macehead is an ancient Egyptian decorative stone mace head. ...
Close-up of the Scorpion Macehead on display at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England The Scorpion mace head (also known as the Major Scorpion mace head) refers to a decorated ancient Egyptian mace head found by by British archeologists James E. Quibell and Frederick W. Green in what they called...
Naqada III is the last phase of the Naqadan period. ...
Palettes were typically used for grinding cosmetics, but this palette was too large and heavy to have been for personal use, and was likely a temple object. One theory put forward was that it was used to grind cosmetics to adorn the statues of the gods. The Cosmetic palette is an archaeological artefact. ...
The Narmer Palette is part of the permanent collection of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.[5] Main entrance of the Egyptian Museum The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to the most extensive collection of pharaonic antiquities in the world. ...
For other uses, see Cairo (disambiguation). ...
Description It is a large (63 cm.), shield-shaped, ceremonial palette, carved from a single piece of flat, soft 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, hard, flake-resistant siltstone, whose source is from a well-attested quarry that has been used since pre-dynastic times at Wadi Hammamat.[6] This material was used extensively during the pre-dynastic period for creating such palettes, and also was used as a source for Old Kingdom statuary. A statue of the 2nd dynasty pharaoh Khasekhemwy, found in the same complex as the Narmer Palette at Hierakonopolis, also was made of this material.[7] Siltstone Siltstone is a geological term for a sedimentary rock whose composition is intermediate in grain size between the coarser sandstone and the finer mudstone. ...
For other uses, see Slate (disambiguation). ...
Schist The schists form a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. ...
Wadi Hammamat (Arabic: Valley of Many Baths) is a dry river bed in Egypts Eastern Desert, about halfway between Qusier and Qena. ...
The Predynastic Period of Egypt (prior to 3100 BC) is traditionally the period between the Early Neolithic and the beginning of the Pharaonic monarchy beginning with King Narmer. ...
The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – this was the first of three so-called Kingdom periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile...
Khasekhemwy (? -2686 BC; sometimes spelled Khasekhemui) was the 5th and final Pharaoh of the 2nd dynasty of Egypt. ...
Both sides of the palette are decorated, carved in raised relief. At the top of both sides of the palette are the central serekhs bearing the rebus symbols n'r (catfish) and mr (chisel) inside, being the phonetic representation of Narmer's name. Horus and the serekh The serekh is a stylised rectangle which contained the Horus name of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs (they had five regal names each). ...
Rebus Principle (Linguistics) is using the existing symbols, such as pictograms, purely for their sounds regardless of their meaning, to represent new words. ...
Obverse side
 Obverse of the Narmer Palette Below the bovine heads thought to represent the cow goddess Bat, who was a patron deity, flanking the serekh of Narmer. Below that is what appears to be a procession, with Narmer shown wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt whose symbol was the papyrus. 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. Behind him is his sandal bearer, whose name may be represented by the rosette appearing adjacent to his head, and a second rectangular symbol that has no clear interpretation, though it could also represent the name of a town. Immediately in front of the king is a long-haired man, a pair of hieroglyphs appearing in front of him, which has been interpreted as being his name: Tshet. This is assuming that these symbols had the same phonetic value used in later hieroglyphic writing. In front of this man are four standard bearers, holding aloft an animal skin, a dog, and two falcons. At the far-right of this scene are ten decapitated corpses, likely the victims of Narmer's conquest. Above them are the symbols for a ship, a falcon, and a harpoon, again perhaps indicating the name of the town that was conquered. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1712x2288, 815 KB) Front* of the Narmer palette, taken from high-quality reproduction (facsimile) at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON. Other versions of this file: Image:NarmerPalette ROM.jpg Uploaded by request. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1712x2288, 815 KB) Front* of the Narmer palette, taken from high-quality reproduction (facsimile) at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON. Other versions of this file: Image:NarmerPalette ROM.jpg Uploaded by request. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The Red Crown Deshret is the formal name for the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. ...
Below the procession, two men are holding ropes tied to the outstretched, intertwining necks of two feline serpopards—or more likely—lionesses given that there are no spots indicated. The circle formed by their exaggeratedly curving necks is the central part of the palette, which is where the cosmetics would be ground. These animals have been considered an additional symbol for the unification of Egypt, but it is a unique image in Egyptian art and there is nothing to suggest that either animal represents an identifiable part of Egypt, although each had lioness war goddesses as protectors and it may indicate the unification with the intertwining. The serpopard is a mythical animal from Ancient Egypt, featured extensively on decorated cosmetic palettes from the Pre-Dynastic Period. ...
At the bottom of the palette a bovine image is seen knocking down the walls of a city while trampling on a fallen foe. Because of the lowered head in the image, this is interpreted as a presentation of the king vanquishing his foes, "Bull of his Mother" being a common epithet given to Egyptian kings as the son of the patron cow goddess. [8] This posture of a bovine represents force in later hieroglyphics.
Reverse side
 Reverse of the Narmer Palette Repeating the format from the other side, two human-faced bovine heads, thought to represent the patron cow goddess Bat, flank the serekhs, uncharacteristically shown in full frontal view. This frontal display of the cows is atypical in ancient Egyptian art except for representations of this goddess and Hathor (who often appears in this view also). Some authors suggest that the images represent the vigor of the king as pair of bulls. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1712x2288, 820 KB) Front* of the Narmer palette, taken from high-quality reproduction (facsimile) at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON. Other versions of this file: Image:NarmerPalette ROM.jpg Uploaded by request. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1712x2288, 820 KB) Front* of the Narmer palette, taken from high-quality reproduction (facsimile) at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON. Other versions of this file: Image:NarmerPalette ROM.jpg Uploaded by request. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
For other uses, see Hathor (disambiguation). ...
A large picture in the center of the palette depicts Narmer wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt whose symbol was the flowering lotus, and wielding a mace. To his left is a man bearing the king's sandals, again flanked by a rosette symbol. To the right of the king is a kneeling prisoner, who is about to be struck by the king. A pair of symbols appear next to his head, perhaps indicating his name, or indicating the region where he was from. Above the prisoner is a falcon, representing Horus, perched above a set of papyrus flowers, the symbol of Lower Egypt. In his talons he holds a rope-like object which appears to be attached to the nose of a man's head that also emerges from the papyrus flowers, perhaps indicating that he is drawing life from the head. The papyrus has often been interpreted as referring to the marshes of the Nile Delta region in Lower Egypt, or that the battle happened in a marshy area, or even that each papyrus flower represents the number 1,000, indicating that 6,000 enemies were subdued in the battle. The Hedjet Hedjet is the formal name for the White Crown of pharaonic Upper Egypt. ...
For other uses, see Horus (disambiguation). ...
Below the king's feet is a third section, depicting two naked, bearded men. They are either running, or are meant to be seen as sprawling dead upon the ground. Appearing to the left of the head of each man is a hieroglyphic sign, the first a walled town, the second a type of knot, likely indicating the name of a defeated town.
Scholarly debate on the palette 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 over the Libyans. More recently scholars such as Nicholas Millet have argued that the palette does not represent a historical event (such as the unification of Egypt), but instead represents the events of the year in which the object was dedicated to the temple. Whitney Davis has suggested that the iconography on this and other pre-dynastic palettes has more to do with establishing the king as a visual metaphor of the conquering hunter, caught in the moment of delivering a mortal blow to his enemies.[9] Map of Lower and Upper Egypt Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. ...
Map of Upper and Lower Egypt Ancient Egypt was divided into two kingdoms, known as Upper and Lower Egypt. ...
The Narmer Palette resides in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and is one of the initial exhibits that visitors see when entering the museum.[10] It has the Journal d'Entree number JE32169 and the Catalogue Génèral number CG14716. Main entrance of the Egyptian Museum The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to the most extensive collection of pharaonic antiquities in the world. ...
For other uses, see Cairo (disambiguation). ...
References - Brier, Bob., The First Nation in History. History of Ancient Egypt (Audio). The Teaching Company. 2001.
- Kinnaer, Jacques. What is Really Known About the Narmer Palette?, KMT: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt, Spring 2004.
- ^ Brier, Bob. Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians, A. Hoyt Hobbs 1999, p.202
- ^ www.ancient-egypt.org/kings/0101_narmer/palette.html The Ancient Egypt Site - The Narmer Palette, accessed September 19, 2007
- ^ Shaw, Ian. Exploring Ancient Egypt. p.33 Oxford University Press, 2003.
- ^ Bard, Kathryn A. The Emergence of the Egyptian State, in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Ed. Ian Shaw, p.61. Oxford University Press, 2000
- ^ Shaw, Ian. Ancient Egypt: A Very Short Introduction. p.4. Oxford Press, 2004.
- ^ Shaw, Ian. Ancient Egypt: A Very Short Introduction. pp44-45. Oxford University Press, 2004.
- ^ Shaw, Ian. Ancient Egypt: A Very Short Introduction. p44. Oxford University Press, 2004.
- ^ Breasted, , James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt, Chicago 1906, part Two, §§ 143, 659, 853; part Three §§ 117, 144, 147, 285 etc
- ^ Shaw, Ian. & Nicholson, Paul. The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, pp196-197. The British Museum Press, 1995.
- ^ Shaw, Ian. Ancient Egypt: A Very Short Introduction. p.4. Oxford Press, 2004.
See also - Libyan Palette (another well-known Predynastic Egyptian palette)
- Warka Vase (a comparable contemporary work of narrative relief sculpture from the Sumerian civilisation).
The Libyan Palette (also known variously as the Libyan Booty Palette, the Siege Palette, the Tehenu- or Tjehenu Palette, the Towns- or Trees and Towns Palette) is the surviving lower portion of a stone cosmetic palette bearing carved decoration and writing. ...
The Warka Vase is a carved alabaster stone vessel found in the temple complex of the Sumerian goddess Innana in the ruins of the ancient city of Uruk, located in the modern Al Muthanna Governorate, in southern Iraq. ...
Sumer (or Å umer in Sumerian: KI-EN-GIR [1]) was the earliest known civilization of the ancient Near East, located in lower Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), from the time of the earliest records in the mid 4th millennium BC until the rise of Babylonia in the late 3rd millennium BC. The...
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