The immortal Narmer Palette

CAIRO – 23 June 2022: The Narmer Palette dates back to the beginning of the First Dynasty, about 3100 BC, the dawn of Egypt’s ancient civilization.

The Narmer Palette is made of green schist stone. It is 64cm long, and 42cm wide. It was discovered in the remains of an Old Kingdom temple at Hierakonpolis (present-day El-Kom El-Ahmar), near Edfu. It is currently on display at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.

Narmer’s Palette contains some early hieroglyphic inscriptions, and depicts the event of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt during the reign of King Narmer. It is a slab of stone that the ancient Egyptians initially used to grind kohl and some dyeing materials, but then it was used to immortalize some of their historical incidents.

On one side, the king is depicted with the white crown of Upper Egypt, on a victory march. Beneath the king, the necks of two mythical animals are intertwined, while being restrained by human figures. It is believed that they represent Upper and Lower Egypt, which is under the control of the king. On the other side, the king is depicted wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt, about to strike the ruler of Lower Egypt. This inscription of the king attacking an enemy became an icon of the ancient Egyptian monarchy. It is still inscribed on the last ancient Egyptian temples ever built.