Schist - H: 64 cm - Provenance: Nekhen, former capital of Upper Egypt (Hieraconpolis today) - to 3100 BC - the Cairo Museum - Found in 1898 by the English archaeologist James Quibell.
The Narmer Palette is an exceptional document, it shows the pharaoh's triumph over his enemies, a scene that will be constantly taken over by the royal authority. It has long interpreted the scenes depicted on the palette as the annexation of Lower Egypt by the king of Hieraconpolis, Narmer, that is to say the unification of the two lands (Lower and Upper Egypt). But it is also possible that the meeting of the Two Lands was already done before Narmer and it is only for the king to suppress a revolt Ouash, a town of Delta.
The main face is divided into four registers. On the second register from the top, we see the Pharaoh, with oxtail; he reviews a double row of shackled prisoners down and decapitated. This is followed by a dignitary wearing sandals (those of Pharaoh) and is preceded by a notable and four small figures carrying a sign. These ensign waved the emblems of the first territorial units (each represented by an animal). The pharaoh wears the red crown of Lower Egypt, he holds the club in the hands of the warrior and the royal scepter, he embodies the sovereign defeating those who rebel against authority. The two lower registers take up the same theme in a different form: down, the bull (Pharaoh) reverses the fortress of the enemy; in the middle, felines (enemies) with long necks are interlaced tamed by two characters who strangle them with cords. two cats can also be interpreted as lions, symbols of the two horizons (Eastern and Western) between which stands the sun. In this case, the two characters with strings would be two gods of the end of the world leading the sun from east to west. It also interpreted the two mythological animals as a symbol of reconciliation of Upper and Lower Egypt.
The intertwining necks of the animals in the center of the pallet defines a round space for grinding malachite: Mineral giving a green color used for eye makeup.
In the upper register, two heads of curved horns cows represent the sign of Bat, a deity that will be quickly assimilated to Hathor. Between the two heads, the name of the pharaoh in hieroglyphs is enclosed in the representation of the facade of the palace (the serekh), as subsequently rule: the fish "nar" and the chisel "sea" = Narmer. We find the name of the king over his representation, his sandals door valet has the title "servant of god".
The reverse side of the palette shows this time the Pharaoh wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt, he holds his enemy by the hair and is about to hit him with his club. It also crowd to his feet two enemies. Behind him, a servant carries his sandals. Above the knees enemy, a hawk (Horus?) Extracts papyrus head of another enemy rectangular body. This scene could represent the southern victory (the falcon) against the north (papyrus). But some (Isabelle Franco) point out that the enemy has a beard and is not an Egyptian and the famous paddle defeat Bedouin western delta, the "Tie Henou" which then leave in the desert . We find the upper register the same representations that on the face of the front.
The importance of this document:
The palette is the oldest known document that shows hieroglyphic writing, it has the essential character of Egyptian art:
- The surface is divided into records (the space is organized)
- The king is shown larger than the other characters: his servants or enemies (the Pharaoh importance in a hierarchical society)
- King killing his enemies, that scene will be taken until the end of this civilization (military power)
- The king is portrayed with his usual attributes: short kilt, the two rings that mark the unification of the country (political power), false beard and oxtail.
- Players are named in hieroglyphic script (written civilization)
- The king is associated with two primordial gods: the cow goddess Hathor and the falcon god Horus (the pharaoh Horus).
- Pictorial convention for human representations are already stopped: profile head and face body.
- The name of the Pharaoh is already registered in a serekh.
- Presence of papyrus, highly symbolic of Egypt plant.
The Narmer Palette gives us already most of the pharaoh powers: military powers, religious and political.
Palette bull - the Louvre.
Palette hyenas - the Louvre.
These two pallets shadows essentially date from the same era as that of Narmer. The palette bull (fragmentary) shows a scene from the palette of Narmer: Pharaoh in the guise of a powerful bull trampling a fallen enemy, lying on his stomach. The enemy is depicted as always will be: bearded and hairy, Asian type. Below, five stores following its part in the fight by bringing prisoners attached to a rope.
The other side of the palette shows the same stage of the bull and two embattled pregnant with the lion (the king) inside: Pharaoh protects (and protects his people) enemies by building fortified cities. The king is here in his role as protector.
Hyenas on the pallet, the central cup is framed animals: hyena, lion, ibis, imaginary monster. The four hyenas are the pillars around the world. This kind of ceremonial paddle was offered to temples, probably by the King himself to serve as worship to the gods. The eyes of the gods were rouged to increase visual acuity and radiation. The eye was supposed to strengthen and the sun. Pharaoh appears here in one of its essential functions: to maintain, through rites, cosmic order, that is to say, the regular return of the star of day. In this context, the animals depicted on the palette show the fight of animal powers against the enemies of the sun. The central bucket receives both the eye that will help strengthen the sun and its shape symbolizes the sun itself.
The palette vultures
The palette vultures (back) palette vultures shows two completely different faces. On one side, extreme violence with the lion (Pharaoh) devouring a naked enemy, overthrown and disjointed. Below, on the other enemies haired and bearded (Asian) are eaten by birds (vultures).
On the other side: a picture of tranquility and order given by two clashed share giraffes side of a palm tree.
On the one hand, disorder, confusion, violence of the battlefield, on the other side, symmetry, peace organized world.
British Museum (recto) - Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (back)
We therefore find that the pallets of the first dynasty displaying the first royal effigies emerges the image of an unusual character combining both temporal and religious powers. Time-wise, the king is the bull or lion, warlord where its value is expressed in its fighting force. On the religious level, Pharaoh maintains the world order (Maat) fighting enemies of the sun and making worship the gods that allow daily regeneration of the sun in an unstable world. Most of the Pharaoh's authority and its main attributes are already in place around 3000 years BC.