The Narmer Palette and the Beginning of Dynastic Egypt

Among many thousands of artifacts discovered on the territory of the ancient Nile valley, the Narmer Palette is one of the most significant ones. The artifact is also known as the Palette of King Narmer. It is made of basalt and was found by two British archaeologists, James Quibell and Frederick Green, in 1898 in Hierakonpolis (Nekhen). These archaeological finds can be considered the earliest historical monuments testifying about the existence of the first dynasty in Egypt from about 3100 BC.

The Palette is sixty-four centimeters high and carved out of two faces in low relief. Many of the ancient artifacts have a significant historical and cultural value for the present generation of humanity. The Narmer Palette can serve as the most ancient prototype for the vast historical and cultural significance of the ancient Egyptian writing and the visual culture of this ancient civilization. The Palette visually demonstrates the program of victory and dedication, making it possible to reconstruct the first historical narratives of the ancient Egipt’s early dynastic period with the help of hieroglyphic writing.

1. Archaeological Context and Physical Description

In order to understand the value and historical context of the Narmer Palette, it should be necessary to examine some of the physical characteristics of this artifact.

A. Discovery at the Main Deposit of Hierakonpolis

The Narmer Palette was found in the Main Deposit, which was one of the largest temple caches in Hierakonpolis (Nekhen) during the Late Predynastic period (Naqada III). Other significant archaeological finds, such as Narmer Macehead and the Scorpion Macehead, were also discovered there. The Palette was not found in a private tomb; instead, it was probably presented as a permanent votive offering to the temple of the falcon god Horus. The findspot of the artifact proves its status as a royal gift presented to Horus’s temple.

B. Smooth Greyish Siltstone Table Surface

The Narmer Palette is made of fine smooth greyish siltstone (schist or slate) from the Wadi Hammamat in the Eastern Desert. It represents the typical Predynastic cosmetic palettes’ form made of rock salt. Cosmetics were used in ancient Egypt to prepare a mixture of ground minerals (malachite or galena) as eye paint in order to protect one’s eyes from sun glare and irritation. However, the size, the two-story pictorial relief, and the overall high quality of the artifact suggest that this is not a simple cosmetic made of coarse salt. On the contrary, it is a monumental artifact and a masterful example of ancient Egyptian art serving religious and ritualistic purposes.

2. The Iconographic Content of the Narmer Palette

The two faces of the Narmer Palette contain a great variety of hieroglyphs that can be used to investigate the first dynastic period in the history of Egypt. Each face has three registers separated by means of two projecting handles.

A. The Obverse (Front) Face: Victory, Order, and State Unity

The obverse of the Narmer Palette depicts a three-part image with the top and middle separated by a circular depression in the center, which resembles the silhouette of two intertwined animals’ necks.

Top Register: The royal name is enclosed in the form of a palace-facade hieroglyph (serekh) with the inscription Nar-Mer (the catfish and the chisel) and is flanked by two cow heads representing the sky goddess Bat or Hathor. Just below the serekh, King Narmer, wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt (Deshret), is portrayed in high relief. He is accompanied by his vizor, sandal-bearer, and four standard-bearers carrying the banners of gods. Narmer inspects ten decapitated enemies whose heads are placed at the enemies’ feet.

Middle Register: Two men are holding ropes that are tied to the long sinuous necks of two serpopards (hybrid animals with lion’s body and serpent’s head). The intertwining of serpards’ necks is placed over the central circular depression. This is the symbol of the unity of the two enemies, Upper and Lower Egypt.

Bottom Register: A bull (the symbol of the king’s strength) tramples over an enemy and breaks the walls of the besieged city with its horns.

B. The Reverse (Back) Face: Full Authority and Divine Selection

The reverse side of the Narmer Palette is dominated by one large scene that was to become a favorite artistic motif of the ancient Egyptian painting and sculpture throughout many centuries.

The Smiting Scene: Narmer, whose height is exaggerated (the hieratic principle of Egyptian art), wears the White Crown (Hedjet) of Upper Egypt, a kilt, and a bull’s tail at his belt. King Narmer holds his captive prisoner by the hair at his left and a pear-shaped macehead above his right hand, getting ready to strike.

Divine Intervention: A falcon god Horus (the patron of the living king) perched on a bunch of papyrus growing from the human-headed landmass holds a rope looped over the captive’s nose with his human hand.

Bottom Register: Two naked men are sprawling on the ground at the king’s feet. In addition, there are symbols of the besieged cities.

3. The Historical Value and Significance of the Narmer Palette

Scholars have always considered the Narmer Palette one of the most important historical sources bearing witness to the historical events occurring around 3100 BC.

A. The Controversy Concerning the Significance of the Palette

There are different views concerning the significance and value of the Narmer Palette. Ancient Egypt scholars, Kurt Sethe and Alan Gardiner, suggested that the Palette simply represents the triumph of the king over the Delta (the Lower Egypt) and the unification of Egypt. According to Sethe and Gardiner, the King’s forces led by Narmer (probably the first ever historically known king of Egypt) were successful in capturing the Lower Egypt and unifying it within the borders of one country.

On the contrary, modern scholars have proposed a new interpretation of the historical value of the Narmer Palette. They claim that the Palette does not depict a particular military campaign of the ancient Egyptian army. The purpose of the Palette was to demonstrate the divine authorization to rule the entire country of Egypt, including both the Upper and the Lower Egypt.

In spite of different interpretations of the significance and meaning of the Narmer Palette, scholars unanimously agree that it depicts the earliest ever image of a king wearing the two crowns of the two Egypts and exercising his full authority.

B. The Classical Tradition of Egyptian Art

The Narmer Palette is a prime example of the classical tradition of ancient Egyptian art. On the two faces of the Palette, one can see how the first ancient Egyptian artists developed the conventions that were further followed for thousands of years:

A Frontal-Profile View: The head, legs, and arms are portrayed from one side, while the torso and eyes are shown from the front.

Registers: The picture is divided into three registers.

The Hieratic Principle: The king is depicted in an enlarged scale.

4. The Origin of Writing

Moreover, the Narmer Palette is another valuable historical source that bears witness to the first efforts of the ancient Egyptian scholars to develop a system of writing. The artifact demonstrates how the scribes combined pictures and words using special hieroglyphs (the logographic and syllabic writing system of ancient Egypt).

A. The First Proto-Hieroglyphic Composition

The pictures on the Narmer Palette are combined with the hieroglyphic inscriptions with the help of special tools. They clearly describe the depicted scenes and help the reader understand their meanings.

The name of the king (serekh) is clearly defined with the help of special hieroglyphs (the catfish and the chisel).

The sandal-bearer has a rosette and a bulb sign, indicating his position.

The picture of the captive enemies is accompanied by certain hieroglyphs that denote their names and nationality.

On the Narmer Palette, all the pictorial elements are combined with phonetic hieroglyphs, which characterize the writing language of the ancient Egyptian scribes.

Conclusion

The Narmer Palette is one of the most valuable artifacts found in the Nile valley. The Narmer Palette is a royal gift presented to the temple of the falcon god Horus as a votive offering. It testifies to the most salient historical changes that occurred in ancient Egypt at the dawn of the first dynasty. The Palette narrates about the first king who unified the whole Nile valley and created the first ever national consciousness in Egypt. It reveals the principles of the classical tradition of ancient Egyptian painting and sculpture. Finally, it demonstrates the beginning of the writing tradition of the ancient Egyptian scribes who developed the system of hieroglyphs.

The images of the king smiting the enemies, serpards, and the siege of the cities depicted on the Narmer Palette clearly demonstrate the beginning of the era of the early dynastic Egypt. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of the Narmer Palette for the present historical and cultural understanding of the ancient Egypt’s early dynastic period that occurred about five thousand years ago.