The Egyptian Palette of King Narmer is a greyish-green stone that was used for ceremonial purposes in ancient Egypt. The artifact was discovered at an old temple of Horus, the falcon god in 1897, by Quibell the archeologist. The stone has an average brittleness and is made of fine grain, which makes it perfect for incisions. The Palette is rectangular and measures 25 by 30 mm in thickness. It has an overall perimeter of 9cm squared and has 12 projecting reinforcements. The relic bears similar relief decorations on both sides, which depict King Pharaoh Narmer, besides ambiguous wording whose meaning has elicited diverse interpretations by modern historians. The Palette of King Narmer is a high-quality artifact whose elaborate inscriptions indicate that it was of significant use.
The ancient Egyptian Palette has a peculiar structure, which symbolizes various Egyptian aspects. Its uppermost part has reliefs that depict the head of Bat or Hathor, the goddess. The middle part of the relic has an incision of King Narmer's name accompanied by catfish symbols (Rossi, 2016). The Palette's upper part also has a drawing of a boat and open door, who’s meaning is unclear to date. On its extreme mid-end, the artifact has several incisions of dead people, which symbolizes Egypt's conquered enemies. The left-hand side of the Palette's middle part has a drawing of Narmer and a priest who is clothed in leopard skin. The lower side of the artifact has incisions of mythical animals and a bull, which is destroying an unknown city's wall.
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The Egyptian Palette had diverse uses during its pre-dynastic period of existence. First, it may have been used to grind and mix cosmetic minerals whose end-product was dark eyeliner. In ancient Egypt, black eyeliners served similar purposes as of today's sunglasses. They shielded their applicants from the sun's intense rays during hot seasons. Additionally, Egyptians modeled other elaborate palettes for use in temple ceremonies to mix cosmetics that were applied to Horus.
The Egyptian Palette is similar to other ancient artifacts that existed in the same periods in various ways. First, it bears artistic symbols that revere King Narmer. Similarly, the majority of Egyptians old relics contained inscriptions of multiple kings in honor of their existence and leadership (Rossi, 2016). Additionally, the Palette of King Narmer was a temple tool. In ancient Egypt, most artifacts were used in different temples to worship old Egyptian gods. Furthermore, the Palette has an artistic drawing of an open door. Archeologists contend that this sign could depict false entries found in ancient Egyptians tombs, whose pictures were found in the majority of Egypt's artifacts. Besides, the Palette is part of other relics whose purposes were for use in funerals, such as the Inuit Fetish and Canopic Jars. Moreover, the Palette is made of material from the River Nile, which is similar to most ancient artifacts in Egypt. Sculptists collected ingredients from the river and created beautiful objects for various purposes. Hence, the Palette of King Narmer resembles ancient Egyptian artifacts in significant means.
The ancient Palette of King Narmer is a finely grained stone of significant sizing. The stone has a surface that allows inscriptions. It bears various symbols with different meanings, which archeologists have interpreted in diverse ways. The stone was used for ancient rituals in the temple of Horus and is similar to other Egyptian artifacts in several means. Hence, the Palette of King Narmer is an ancient Egyptian artifact whose use and meaning is profound.
References
Rossi, A. (2016). The Origin of Technical Drawing in the Narmer Palette. Nexus Network Journal , 19 (1), 27-43. doi:10.1007/s00004-016-0307-7
