The Narmer Palette

THE PALETTE OF NARMER
By, Youmna Adnan

Anushka Rustomji
20th December 2021
The Narmer Palette, is an important archaeological find in Egypt, ranging
from around the 31st century BC, belonging to the genre of cosmetic palettes.
The finely carved 63.5 cm high palette, made of smooth greyish-green
siltstone is painted with precise low relief on both sides.1 These scenes
demonstrate a king, known as Narmer, and a sequence of enigmatic events
that have been difficult to comprehend and have resulted in the heterogeneity
of view-point. The Palette was discovered in 1897-1898 CE by the British archaeologists Quibell and Green in the Temple
of Horus. It portrays Pharaoh Narmer wearing the crown of Upper Egypt on one side of the palette, and the crown of Lower
Egypt, representing the first alliance of Upper and Lower Egypt under one ruler.2
1
Dr. Amy Calvert, Palette of King Narmer (Smarthistory 2015).
2
Calvert, Palette of King Narmer, 2015.
The way that the palette is carved on the two sides implies that it was made for ceremonial rather
than pragmatic purposes. Palettes which were made for everyday use were just decorated on one
side. The Narmer Palette is unpredictably cut to recount the tale of King Narmer's triumph in
battle and the endorsement of the divine beings at the unification of Egypt.3 At the very top, in
the middle, Narmer’s name is engraved inside a palace with the symbols of a catfish and a
chisel. The top two edges are engraved with a pair of bovine heads with widely curved horns,
believed to signify the cow goddess Bat. The large photo in the middle of the palette
suggests Narmer wielding a mace carrying the White Crown of Upper Egypt. On the right side, it looks like a prisoner is
about to be hit by the prince. Above the prisoner, a hawk (symbol of Horus) carries a tether (symbol of Lower Egypt)
incorporating six papyrus paws. Narmer's rivals lay dead at the foot of a small walled settlement. Perhaps they are the
embodiments of the towns he captured.4 The other side of the palette features a pair of incredible animals, known as
serpopards-leopards with long, snaky necks-in addition to the main scenes, who are collared and commanded by a pair of
attendants. Their necks intertwine and describe the recess in which the preparation for makeup took place.5 Narmer, trailed
3
Joshua Mark, Narmer Palette (Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2016).
4
Mark, Narmer Palette, 2016.
5
by his sandal bearer, is seen in the pharaonic Red Crown of Lower Egypt.6 Before him a priest walks with a parade. extreme
right, Narmer's adversaries lie beheaded and emasculated.7
The actual artifact is an amazing form of a daily use item regularly found in the Predynastic time period. Palettes were flat,
minimally decorated stone items, utilized for grinding and mixing minerals for cosmetics. In the sun-drenched area, dark
eyeliner was and essential part of life. Black makeup around the eyes helped to decrease shine and glare, just like the dark
streaks painted under the eyes of modern athletes. These cosmetic palettes held significant importance and were thus one of
the grave goods of that period. However, apart from the simple palettes, a variety of larger, much more intricate palettes
were also produced during this time. Plenty of the initial palettes show creatures, some real, some incredible, while later
examples concentrate on human behavior, such as the Narmer palette. Later temple practices involved comprehensive
regular ceremonies involving the anointing and styling of sacred images. These palettes likely represent an early
embodiment of this phase.
6
7
Joshua Mark, Narmer Palette (Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2016)
This theory extends to the Narmer Palette, which may portray an occurrence from history or may merely be an honorary
engraving that illustrates the king's power and vigor in war.8 The Narmer Palette honored the victory of King Narmer over
ten Egyptian rivals some time during the period.9 There are many reasons why the Narmer Palette is recognized as being of
such value. First, it was one of the first few palettes found by archaeologists during controlled excavations. Secondly, the
Narmer palette incorporates a variety of structured and iconographic elements that remain traditional for the next three
centuries in Egyptian two-dimensional painting. By the use of hierarchical size, registers, (uniquely) displaying kilts, royal
beard, and bull tail, the Palette features the king's dominance in the crown of both upper and lower Egypt, kilts, royal beard,
and bull tail. 10
The artwork on this palette offers a glimpse into the diversity of the artistic elements as well as the religious ideas that
evolve in the ensuing decades. It is a crucial artifact of extreme value for our comprehension and understanding of several
levels of the growth of the Egyptian civilization. It discusses the concepts of rank, faith, and leisure through the use of size,
symbols, and metaphors. For me this is one of the greatest Egyptian inventions; a breakthrough in the field of cosmetics.
8
D.J. Brewer, Ancient Egypt: Foundations of a Civilization (Pearson, 2005)
9
Cyril Aldred, Egyptian Art in the Days of the Pharaohs (New York: Thames and Hudson, 1985)
10
M Bunson, The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (Gramercy Books, 1991)
Bibliography
Alderd, Cyril. Egyptian Art in the Days of the Pharaohs. New York: Thames and Hudson. 1985.
Brewer, D.J. Ancient Egypt: Foundations of a Civilization. Pearson, 2005.

https://www.ancient.eu/Narmer_Palette/
Bunson, M. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Gramercy Books, 1991.

Calvert, Dr. Amy. Palette of King Narmer. Smart History, 2015.
https://smarthistory.org/palette-of-king-narmer/
Mark, Joshua. Narmer Palette. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2016.
Van De Mieroop, M. A History of Ancient Egypt. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
Willinkson, Richard H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. P.172 Thames and Hudson. 2003.

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THE PALETTE OF NARMER

By, Youmna Adnan

The finely carved 63.5 cm high palette, made of smooth greyish-green

demonstrate a king, known as Narmer, and a sequence of enigmatic events

right, Narmer's adversaries lie beheaded and emasculated.7

embodiment of this phase.

and bull tail. 10

Brewer, D.J. Ancient Egypt: Foundations of a Civilization. Pearson, 2005.

Bunson, M. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Gramercy Books, 1991.

Mark, Joshua. Narmer Palette. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2016.

Van De Mieroop, M. A History of Ancient Egypt. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.

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