Narmer Palette

Narmer Palette
Both sides of the Narmer Palette
MaterialSiltstone
Sizec. 64 cm × 42 cm
Created3200–3000 BC (circa)
Discovered1897–1898
Hierakonpolis
Discovered byJames Quibell
Frederick W. Green
Present locationEgyptian Museum, Cairo
IdentificationCG 14716

The Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette or the Palette of Narmer, is a significant Egyptian archaeological 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 the king Narmer. Along with the Scorpion Macehead and the Narmer Maceheads, also found together in the main deposit at Nekhen, the Narmer Palette provides one of the earliest known depictions of an Egyptian king. 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, which also makes it the earliest known example of a king wearing both types of headdress.[1] The Palette shows many of the classic conventions of Ancient Egyptian art, which must already have been formalized by the time of the Palette's creation.[2] Egyptologists Bob Brier and A. Hoyt Hobbs have referred to the Narmer Palette as "The oldest Egyption historical record".[3]

The Palette, which has survived five millennia in almost perfect condition, 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 Nekhen, during the dig season of 1897–98.[4][page needed][5][page needed][6] Also found at this dig were the Narmer Macehead and the Scorpion Macehead.[7] 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.[8] It has been suggested that these objects were royal donations made to the temple.[9] 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.[10] Hierakonpolis's religious importance continued long after its political role had declined.[11] 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.[12]

The Narmer Palette is part of the permanent collection of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.[13] It is one of the initial exhibits which visitors have been able to see when entering the museum.[13] Its inventory number is JE 32169[14] and its former identification number is CG 14716.[15]

  1. ^ Friedman, Renée (2003). "City of the Hawk". Archaeology. 56 (6). Archaeological Institute of America: 50–56. ISSN 0003-8113. JSTOR 41779225. OCLC 9973955462. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  2. ^ Wilkinson 1999, p. 6
  3. ^ Brier, Bob; Hobbs, A. Hoyt (1999). "Warfare". Daily life of the ancient Egyptians. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 202. ISBN 978-0-313-00742-2. OCLC 52315179.
  4. ^ Quibell, James Edward (1900). Hierakonpolis, Part 1, Plates of discoveries in 1898. notes by W. M. Flinders Petrie. London: Quaritch. OCLC 312741135 – via Internet Archive. Also available: Hierakonpolis, Part 1 at the HathiTrust Digital Library
  5. ^ Quibell, James Edward; Green, F. W. (1902). Hierakonpolis, Part 2. London: Quaritch. OCLC 42287739 – via Internet Archive. Also available: Hierakonpolis, Part 2 at the HathiTrust Digital Library
  6. ^ The Ancient Egypt Site – The Narmer Palette Archived 2006-06-15 at the Wayback Machine accessed September 19, 2007
  7. ^ Millet, Nicholas B. (1990). "The Narmer Macehead and Related Objects". Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. 27: 53–59. doi:10.2307/40000073. ISSN 0065-9991. JSTOR 40000073. OCLC 5543621798.
  8. ^ Shaw, Ian (2003). "Hierakonpolis (c. 3200–2600 B.C.)". Exploring Ancient Egypt. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-19-511678-6. OCLC 252641623 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ Bard, Katheryn A. (2002). "The Emergence of the Egyptian State (c. 2300–2686)". In Shaw, Ian (ed.). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-19-280293-4. OCLC 1342143615 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ Wilkinson 1999, pp. 36–41.
  11. ^ Friedman 2001, pp. 98–100.
  12. ^ Brier, Bob (2005). Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt (audiobook). Chantilly: The Great Courses. ISBN 978-1-68276-439-8. OCLC 1100776195. See also: "Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt". The Great Courses.
  13. ^ a b Shaw 2004, p. 4
  14. ^ "Catalog record". The Global Egyptian Museum. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  15. ^ "The Narmer Catalog". narmer.org. Retrieved 2024-06-24.