Throughout history, there have been many prosperous empires that ruled across different time periods. The Egyptian and Achaemenid empires existed around 2,500 years apart from one another, but had one important thing in common- the great artistic works that came from within their empires. The Palette of Narmer and the Bisitun Relief of Darius I are two prime examples of the intrinsic works created during these empires. Both compositions are rich in meaning and share many similarities in defining certain cultural aspects of the empires. These two works shed light on the culture and lifestyles of the kings and individuals within the empire by illuminating the different methods of unification set forth by the kings.
Palettes in the Egyptian culture during this time period were common everyday items with minimal decorations used for grinding and mixing cosmetics. The Palette of Narmer was a ceremonial palette used in the ritual of mixing and applying the king’s eye makeup specifically. Dark eyeliner was applied underneath the king’s eyes to reduce the glare in this sun-drenched area (Mark, 2018). Narmer was an Egyptian king from the early dynastic period. He is known to be the unifier of upper and lower Egypt and this is portrayed directly on his palette. There are multiple iconographic characteristics visible on the palette that are still relevant to Egyptian culture today including the way the figures are reflected, how the scenes are represented in horizontal sections, and the use of hierarchical scale to indicate the most important individuals/ figures as larger than everything else portrayed in the work. Other visual elements such as the bull’s tail, the kilts, and the pose Narmer is in while he is about to smash the skull of an enemy with a mace continue to be utilized and provide reasons for why the palette of Narmer is so important and valuable to Egyptian culture.
Hierarchical scale is a technique used in artworks- mostly paintings and sculptures, that uses unnatural proportion to depict the most important figure(s) in each artwork. Narmer is portrayed as much larger than everyone else on the palette and the most centered figure reflecting this scale and also the conquering of his enemies below him.
Narmer wears the upper white crown in one face of the palette and the lower red crown in the other- marking the first trace of Egypt being unified under one ruler. The palette indicates the very first time the upper and lower crowns were worn by the same king (Mark, 2018). We see that Narmer is ceremonially expressing his dominance over the unified Egypt within his palette. This object is an extremely important artifact of high significance that helps us understand the power of Narmer and his dominance within the empire. The unification of the upper and lower sections could have sparked the entire civilization of Egypt proving its importance to the culture. The hieroglyphics found on the Palette of Narmer were some of the earliest inscriptions ever found and the palette itself was one of the earliest depictions of an Egyptian king. The hieroglyphics display Narmer’s name, further portraying his powerful nature and dominance over his people (Mark, 2018).
Darius I was one of the greatest rulers of the Achaemenid period at the peak of the Persian empire. He is known as a hunter of men and beasts and the protector of his people. His body is always portrayed as strong and exceedingly powerful which is seen specifically in his rock relief at Bisitun. Darius I connected with other Persian communities and made great improvements in the empire that further unified it altogether. He organized the empire into multiple provinces called satrapies and assigned individual satraps to govern them. He created a monetary system with new coins, made an empire wide official language, built new royal roads that connected main centers, and introduced standard weights and measures (Cristian, 2018). These major legal and economic changes centralized and unified the empire similar to how Narmer unified upper and lower Egypt.
Darius is also shown in the relief as larger than all of his captured enemies representing hierarchical scale just as Narmer was depicted on the palette. Darius I is shown in his Persian perspective with curly hair and a curly beard. Darius also wears a crown with crenellations that form a zig-zag pattern. There is a trilingual inscription on the relief combining three different versions of language- Old Persian, Babylonian (Akkadian), and Elamite (Cristian, 2018). The inscription consisted of a short autobiography of Darius’s ancestry and his lineage. To aid in the delivery of his ancestry presentation, Darius wrote down the lengthy sequence of events that occurred after Cyrus the Great died. Both the Bisitun Relief of Darius and the Palette of Narmer used text as a representation of the king’s power and specifically the trilingual inscription shows a great amount of dominance and control since the story is written in three different languages.
Darius is also depicted in his relief praying to ahura mazda- the winged god of the Assyrians. The bird is known to be anthropomorphic- having human qualities. Darius mentions in the trilingual inscription that he is rightfully chosen as king by the grace of the ahura mazda (Cristian, 2018). Darius is such a powerful king because his reign was one of the most important in the Persian empire. His military conquests expanded Persia and his major reforms improved the vitality of the empire. Darius’s expansion is shown within the relief because the enemies he had conquered have different clothing and hairstyles showing the multitude of countries that were now part of the Achaemenid empire under Darius’s rule. Narmer was also an extremely powerful ruler that expanded the empire by being the first king to rule a unified Egypt.
Even though many characteristics about these works can be paralleled, they are still unique objects with a variety of distinctions within them. For example, both Narmer and Darius were influential kings that unified their empires, but they did this in different manners. Narmer was said to unify Egypt in a peaceful way over time. The Egyptians believed in the principle of “ma’at” (harmony) and thought that life was supposed to be lived according to this principle and was a matter of balance (Mark, 2018). Narmer is thought to have balanced Egypt by conquering the forces of chaos and providing a land of order. His unification is represented in the work by the combination of the upper and lower Egyptian crowns. Opposingly, Darius utilized his military power to control the people and his rule is marked by military expeditions. Darius wanted to expand his empire far and wide and went after this goal by conquering parts of Egypt and India and later attempting to gain sections of Greece (Cristian, 2018). In the Bisitun Relief of Darius I, the variety of individuals represents the countries now apart of the Achaemenid empire under the rule of the king. The more violent and militaristic nature of Darius’s reign can be seen in the relief because the enemies are bounded together with a rope around their necks. Darius is also portrayed as being supported by his conquered enemies later in the Achaemenid Royal Tomb where he was buried. These images indicate Darius was an intense, powerful king and believed great expansion of his empire was vital during his time in power.
Another key distinction between the Palette of Narmer and the Bisitun relief is the context described within the text in each artwork. The Palette of Narmer is much simpler in this aspect for it only states Narmer’s name in hieroglyphics on the palette. This shows his powerful nature and dominance over the empire again. On the other hand in the relief, Darius’s whole story is shared including characteristics of his lineage and ancestry. This inscription is not only longer than Narmer’s, but also way more complex considering the length and the fact that Darius’s text is written in three different languages three different times. This text also reflects Darius’s power and duty to lead the empire in a militaristic manner.
The Palette of Narmer and the Bisitun Relief of Darius I reflect the idea that the leaders during this time period were extremely powerful and their cultural impact within the empires they ruled is one that is still considered today through multiple art depictions of them. These artworks allow insight into the lifestyles of the individuals during these times and represent other intellectual achievements as well. Their legacies will continue on as some of the greatest rulers of their time periods that made valuable contributions to unifying the empires and controlling large populations under one ruler. These two works emphasize the idea that unification was an important factor in advancing the empires and that their cultural relevance is still vital in understanding the lives of the people during these times.