The Narmer Palette is a testament to ancient Egypt’s splendor and sophistication. Crafted over 5,000 years ago, this remarkable artifact offers a captivating glimpse into the early dynastic period, where art, symbolism, and power converged in a singular masterpiece. Perhaps some people do not expect that there is such a thing as military art or war art, but it is an old term, as it is one of the oldest types of art, regardless of its style and medium.

The battle scene is already considered one of the oldest types of art in advanced civilizations, as rulers were always keen to celebrate their victories to intimidate their potential opponents back then. Paintings and drawings of battles and military subjects have appeared since ancient times. They were present in ancient Egyptian inscriptions in the primitive period (3500-3000 BC). Still, they were incomplete inscriptions and drawings, showing prisoners of war being taken to an unknown place and wild animals feeding on the corpses of dead people.

The Narmer Palette, which belongs to the same era, also shows a military victory, but in a more symbolic manner. The Palette depicts the unification of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt under the rule of King Narmer. This was the first door to art in the ancient Egyptian civilization, which is not only considered an entertainment art but also considered a true documentation of historical events for our understanding and familiarity with the events of the past, not only historically but it is also considered a gateway to learning about the culture, wisdom, and art of the ancient Egyptians. How great were the ancient Egyptians in their way of thinking, and how they recorded all the events of their lives to keep them alive to the present day!

Drawings at Narmer palette showing King Narmer.

Who was the king Narmer?

King Narmer was an Egyptian king, and he was the first king of unified Egypt. He is famous for being able to unify Egypt without wars at the beginning of the First Dynastic Era, which extended between 3150 and 2613 B.C., in addition to being the last King of the pre-dynastic period, that is, between 6000 and 3150 B.C. It was believed that he came before a king called Menes, who unified the country through conquest and wars.

Still, some historical evidence available today indicates that Narmer is the same as King Menes, and they are not two separate kings. In addition to his fame in unifying Egypt, he is credited with diverting the course of the River Nile and the founding of the city of Memphis, which was considered the capital of ancient Egypt. King Narmer is said to have ruled for nearly 62 years and was killed by a hippopotamus.

King Menes was given several titles, including the King of the Two Lands, the Eagle of the South, the Serpent of the North, and the Owner of the Two Crowns. It indicates that he possessed cunning, wisdom, intelligence, strength, and courage and was an experienced team leader in wars.

The King Narmer‎.

The Palette of King Narmer, astonishing facts!

The Narmer Palette is shield-shaped and is made of soft dark grey-green siltstone 64 cm long and 42 cm wide. It was discovered by British archaeologists James E. Keppel and Frederick Green in the remains of an Old Kingdom temple in Hierakonpolis (currently Kom al-Ahmar) near Edfu and is displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.

The shield shape of the palette of King Narmer is the same as that of a household item called a palette, which was used to hold cosmetics. The Egyptians had made smaller household beauty palettes at least a thousand years before the Narmer Palette. This is not unusual in Egyptian iconography – the Narmer Palette is one of a series of elaborately carved and carried objects associated with the formative period of Egypt’s ruling culture, around the turn of the third millennium BC.

Narmer Palette is a stone palette that the Egyptians used to grind kohl and some dyeing materials. Then, they used it as a palette to record some of their historical events. It contains some early hieroglyphic inscriptions. The Palette depicts the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt during the reign of King Narmer.

the palette of King Narmer

Narmer Palette Description

The upper part of the palette of Narmer was decorated similarly on both sides. The king’s name was engraved between two cow heads on the front of the palace. Animals were drawn from the front, which is unusual in ancient Egyptian art. The engraved heads of cows were symbolizing Hathor. The animals were likely bulls, symbolizing the power of the king.

At the bottom of Narmer Palette, the king wears a huge crown that belongs to Upper Egypt, that is, southern Egypt, and holds a weapon to strike his northern enemies. In front of the king is Horus in the form of a falcon, presenting the king with the head of a captive, his body as if it were a sign of the earth, and papyrus coming out of it, meaning that Horus is offering him the land of the Delta.

On the other side of the painting, we find the deity at the bottom, the king victorious walks in a triumphal procession, wearing the red crown, the crown of the Delta, wearing a short skirt decorated with cow heads and animal tails, and his victim appears kneeling in front of him without clothes. The king holds the scepter in his hands; behind him is the sandal bearer, and in front of him is the chief minister.

The painting on Narmer Palette also shows the number one and the lake in the name of water, which indicates that it is the first victory of King Menes in a water area such as a lake or a swamp. In front of the king, we find the falcon, which is undoubtedly a symbol of the king, floating above some plants that grow in a swamp, and the left side of this swamp is decorated with the head of a man. It somewhat resembles the head of the enemy, symbolizing the land of the Delta or part of the Nile Delta. We find on the far right a number of prisoners with their heads cut off.

palette of Narmer

Narmer Palette symbolism

The symbolism of the painting on Narmer Palette indicates comprehensive military power. Certain types of drawings were used to illustrate the king’s power and show him victorious over his enemies, as he overthrew his enemy kneeling, and he wore the crown of the south on one side and the crown of the north on the other. This is often evidence of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt because both crowns are of geographical importance. It represents the first historical document in Egyptian history dating to the beginning of the Dynastic eras.

This means that Narmer, the king, had never worn the Crown of the South before, but some Egyptologists doubted these events and said that they most likely served as religious rituals. The discoveries also confirmed that the painting is similar to other kings who did not win or fight because the ancient Egyptians always depicted the king fighting enemies.

In contrast, the painting mentioned three cities and fortresses that were overthrown. The painting also indicates the establishment of a specifically marked region with signs later used to indicate the seventh region in Lower Egypt in the eastern Nile Delta. In addition, it appears that the poster that was found in 1998 AD during excavations in Abydos (a city in Sohag) confirms the history of the painting.

Narmer palette.