Narmer Palette

The Narmer Palette is a flat plate of schist of about 63

centimeters in height found in Hieraknopolis. Its size, weight
and decoration suggest that it was a ceremonial palette, rather
than an actual cosmetics palette for daily use.The palette
carved on both sides in low raised relief.The figures are placed
on baselines producing a division into registers.
The top of the palette is 'decorated' in a similar manner on both
sides: the name of the king is inscribed in a so-called serekh or
(the palace faade)and it is written with 2 hieroglyphs
(catfish,chisel). between two cow heads with human face.
which is interpreted as an early reference to the cult of a cowgoddess, perhaps Bat. It is possible that the bulls refer to the
vigor and strength, of the king.

Front side: 3 registers

The front side shows a king, undoubtedly Narmer, ready to

strike down an enemy by his macehead whom he grabs by the
hair. This pose would become typical in Ancient Egyptian art.
He wears a short skirt (kilt)(shindit), an ox tail and the white
crown that refers to upper Egypt.
Behind him an apparently bald person holds the king's sandals
in his left hand and a basket with fresh water in his right,

Called (sandal bearer). The fact that the king is represented as

barefooted and followed by a sandal-bearer perhaps suggests a
ritual nature for the scene depicted on the palette.
The king's victim is kneeling before him, his arms flung next to
his body, as if to indicate that he was bound. And he is
represented naked.
Above the victim's head, facing the king, a falcon, symbol of the
king, is perched on top of the papyrus plant and holding with
one of his human hands a rope attached to an enemy nose the
papyrus plant that stands for the Lower Egypt. This shows that
the king had conquered Upper and Lower Egypt.
Underneath the king's feet, at the bottom of the palette, lie two
overthrown, naked enemies. One of their arms is raised up; the
other is drawn behind their backs. Their legs are sprawling.
They were looking at the king and running away from him.

Back Side: 4 registers

In the top scene of the palette's back (second register) Narmer

the most important figure, is represented wearing the Red
Crown, that is usually associated with Lower Egypt.He views 2
rows of enemy bodies that have been decapitated and their
heads placed between their legs. He holds a mace in his left
hand, while his right arm is bent over his chest, holding some

kind of flail. The two signs in from of him represent his name,
but they are not written in the serekh .
He is again followed by his sandal-bearer. The king is preceded
by a long-haired person wearing panthers skin identified by 2
hieroglyphs as tjet,( vizier).And four standard bearers. These
standards might be the emblems of the regions that already
belonged to Narmer.
The third register shows a symmetrical group of 2 opposing
animals with long nicks twisted round one another, each
controlled by a rope around its neck that is held by a male
figure. This perhaps represents the forces of chaos that the
king had to make to unit Egypt.
Between the animal's necks, a circular area is a bit deeper than
the palette's surface. This lower circular area indicates the
place where a cosmetic was put if this were not a ceremonial
palette.
The scene at the bottom of the palette's back face continues
the imagery of conquest and victory. A bull, almost certainly a
symbol of the king's vigour and strength, tramples a fallen
enemy and attacks the walls of a city or fortress with its horns.
This fortress might be a sympol of Lower Egypt and this is
another evidence that the king controlled Upper and Lower
Egypt.

Namer Macehead

This mace head from Hieraknopolis commemorate the kings

victor over his enemies.it shows the king sated in a kiosk on
platform reached by steps.
The king wears the red crown(Lower Egypt) and holding a flail
and is followed in the same register by the tjet official(vizer)
and in the regiser below his sandale bearer.He is accompined
by 2 fan bearer.There are also 4 standard bearers(2 falcons
,dog,placenta).The king is identified by the name of Narmer
witten in a serekh on which the horus falcon preches.
Above the king a vulture(Upper Egypt) protecting
him,manifestation of Nekhbet.
The vulture goddess had her cult centre at el Kab .
In front of the king a figure in round topped carrying chair
.behind it in the same register 3 bearded ,naked figures and
shown with their hands bound together run between 2 side with
3 crescent shaped markers a sympol of the area ruled by the

king.The bound enemies are placed between the markers to

show that they are in the kings territory.

The Macehead of King 'Scorpion'

It is a rounded piece of limestone of 25 cm. high. Its

dimensions and the fact that it is decorated both show that it
was intended as a ritual artefact and not as a real mace head.
The central figure is king 'Scorpion', identified by the floral
element and the scorpion in front of him. He wears the White
Crown, (usually associated with Upper-Egypt), a simple skirt
(kilt) and ox tail extending from the back of the skirt. He holds
a hoe in his hands, ready to cut open the ground. Before him
stands a man, facing the king and pouring sand on the ground.
This type of scene is known throughout the Pharaonic history:
it shows the king while preparing the foundations of some kind
of building. Below the king, a strip of water is represented,

which could indicate that 'Scorpion' is laying the foundations of

a dam or dike.
Behind the king, two fan bearers to protect the king from the
heat, and behind them, two registers of plants are shown. On
the lowest register, the plants are followed by some women
clapping their hands and dancing. The level above represents a
seated person. Before the king at least two men were standing
carrying a standard, representing the territories belonging to
his kingdom.
Above the whole scene, at least seven standards are shown. On
each of them, a bird, perhaps representing the word "people",
is hanged by the neck. These standards are often interpreted
as a representation of the territories and the peoples
conquered by 'Scorpion', showing that 'Scorpion' was a warriorking.