The Palette of Narmer is a single piece of siltstone, standing around sixty-four centimeters tall, created and used by ancient Egyptians. It was discovered in the year 1898 by James Quibell and Frederick Green in Egypt, at the site of Hierakonpolis, along with other items such as mace that had been buried with it. The site in which it was discovered was actually the capital of Egypt during the pre-dynastic period (Kinnaer). Both the front and back of the palette are finely decorated and covered in many symbolic images having to do with King Narmer, also believed to be King Menes. This is considered to be one of the most significant discoveries in Egypt’s history. The most common theme demonstrated with this piece of artwork is the unification of upper and lower Egypt (Yadin). However, people are starting to devise a different theme involving the sun and king (Calvert). Various scenes are depicted on the palette, four on the front and three on the back, all divided by horizontal lines. This is a very controversial piece because there are many theories as to the meanings of the images it displays. Some important aspects to consider about Narmer’s Palette that will be discussed include how it was made and used, specific details regarding the sections on both the front and back, and what archaeologists have learned from this piece.
This palette takes on the shape of a shield and the way in which it is decorated involves a technique known as low relief carving. Low relief, also known as bas relief, means the images carved are projected very slightly from the surface, usually one half of an inch in depth. Basically, the whole idea of relief carving is that the figures and images will protrude from the original surface, yet are still attached to it (Przybylek). The tools needed for this would have been something for hitting, something to chisel with, and something that would shape the edges of the siltstone. Whoever made this piece must have had highly developed skills because this method of carving takes a lot of accuracy and precision. Other sources agree with this statement and one even said the person who engraved this palette must have been an expert craftsman (Rossi).
The siltstone in which the Narmer Palette is made from is of a greyish/greenish color and “it’s fine grain and relative hardness allows for meticulous incisions” (Rossi). Palettes made of this material were fairly common during Egypt’s pre-dynastic period and they were typically used to grind up the pigments contained within cosmetics (Crawford). Dark makeup was often placed on the eyes of the Egyptians because of the sun, so that it would reduce its glare (Calvert). It was also used for looks and some scientists believe it had additional medicinal uses. Archaeologists are unsure of how the palette of Narmer was used since it is so detailed. Some believe it was indeed used to grind up makeup and apply it to the face of King Narmer himself. Others believe it had a more ceremonial use, rather than just being used every day to put on makeup. The reason for this belief is due to the fact the palette was found with other ceremonial objects in the Temple of Horus (Calvert). It is a common misconception that slate or schist is the material it is made of, but it was indeed siltstone. It is likely this material was available locally at a place known as Wadi Hammamat. Here, a quarry is located containing siltstone which is most likely where the material for the palette came from (Nicholson and Shaw).
The first two sections on the front of the palette include the name of Narmer in hieroglyphics and then a very detailed scene involving him. The top one is very small in size compared to the other sections on this side of the palette. Located in the middle is the name of King Narmer, surrounded on either side by two bovine heads. Some sources believe that these represent Hathor’s head, a cow goddess, and others say it is a symbol for the king (Yadin). In the second section, King Narmer is shown looking at people, most likely enemies of his, who have been beheaded. He appears to be wearing a red crown, which is the crown of Lower Egypt. To the left of him is a man who has what looks like a pair of sandals in one hand and a basket in the other. It is a possibility that this man was the one who washed the feet of King Narmer. There is a rectangle located above the man’s head and the meaning of it has not yet been determined. Directly in front of Narmer is a different man, with long hair, who is holding an emblem in his hand. Four bearers are in front of this man, shown holding what is believed to be animal skin, a dog, and two falcons. One possibility for this combination is that they represent the emblems of Narmer’s royal house. Featured above the men who have been decapitated is a ship with both a harpoon and a falcon (Kinnaer). Overall, many details are included in the second section of the front of Narmer’s palette.
The third section is the largest of the four on the front side and displays two lions with the necks of a serpent that are intertwined with one another. They appear to have some type of rope or string wrapped around their necks, and two men are holding onto the strings (Yadin). There is a perfect circle between the serpents and if the palette was not used ceremonially, this could have been the location where pigment would have been crushed and applied to the eyes of the Egyptians, or King Narmer. One source says the necks being tied together is a symbol for the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt (Kinnaer). The bottom section on the front contains a bull who is in the process of trampling a naked man that appears to not be of Egyptian descent. One interpretation of this scene is that the bull symbolizes Narmer and his power. The bull looks as if it is ramming into the walls of a city, but no one knows for sure what the name of the city might be (Kinnaer).
The back of the palette is divided into three sections, rather than the four located on the front. The top is exactly the same as it is on the other side. King Narmer’s name, in hieroglyphics, is in the middle and the bovine head, or the head of Hathor, is on either side of the name. The middle section is very large and takes up the majority of the space on this side of the palette. Due to its large size, it is considered to be the most important scene on the palette out of all the others (Yadin). Here, King Narmer is wearing the crown of Upper Egypt, which is white, and is shown holding someone by their hair as he is about to strike them with a club. Above this image is a large bird, most likely a falcon, shown reigning over an enemy. One depiction of the enemy is that the six figures shown on its back are stalks of papyrus, symbolizing the Land of the Papyrus (Yadin). The image to the left is the same man who is located in the second section of the front side of the palette. He appears to still be holding a pair of sandals and a basket, indicating he might be the one who washes King Narmer’s feet. The difference between this image and the one on the front is that two hieroglyphic symbols are shown with this man and the meaning is believed to be that he is a servant of the king (Kinnaer). The bottom section displays two men who have long hair and are naked. It is believed they are running away and there are many theories as to why they might be doing so. The posture of these men is said to indicate they are enemies of Narmer who have fallen (Yadin).
By studying this object, archaeologists have learned much about Egypt during this pre-dynastic time period. The fact that any person other than Narmer is represented as small and minute has a great deal to do with hierarchy. The king is represented as large in size on the palette because he is at the top of the hierarchy, while anyone else is either towards the middle or the bottom of it. They have also been able to determine that King Narmer was likely the same person as King Menes, and he is responsible for unifying both Upper and Lower Egypt. This is shown on the palette when Narmer appears wearing a red crown on one side and a white crown on the other. Due to the uncertainty of some of the symbols and images, it is unsure if the events represented actually occurred or not. Some believe it is just a piece of artwork simply meant for decoration and to show how great and powerful Narmer was. Archaeologists and other non-archaeologists today are still trying to determine the literal meanings of the various scenes on the palette.
This piece remains of high importance to this day because of what it tells us about Egyptian history and it is also “one of very few palettes discovered in a controlled excavation” (Calvert). People are continuing to come up with different interpretations of the things represented on the palette. Some of the small and finer details are so difficult to understand that no one has been able to devise any ideas to explain them yet. This suggests the images shown are extremely controversial. It seems as if when someone comes up with an idea to explain one of them, someone else disproves it and comes up with another idea. One thing is known for sure, King Narmer is the main subject of this piece of artwork and he was a very powerful man. Quibell and Green made a great discovery with this palette. If only the symbols were a little easier to understand, society just might know a lot more about what really happened in Egypt during the pre-dynastic time.