Narmer Palette
The Narmer Palette is the coolest piece of art history that we have discussed in class so far. It is true that a picture can speak a thousand words. The Narmer palette is a representation of an important time in Egyptian history. This important event is the unification of Egypt by King Narmer. With the incorporation of the hieratic scale, King Narmer is illustrated as the largest figure. He is larger than his adversaries. Phonetic symbols are used to represent Narmer name. The interesting part of the palette is the Unification of Egypt being represented by many images. The twisting of the lion head represents the unification of Egypt. The use of lotus flower and papyrus represents the unification of Egypt. Narmer wears the crown of Upper Egypt. The falcon seems to have taken a man’s head perhaps representing Lower Egypt. The size of the humans decreases further down the image from the men being killed by Narmer to the dead people on the ground. This can be a representation of Narmer greatness. Narmer is also portrayed taking over his enemies with a large size bull. This represents his victory. Iconography is used in the image by the artist. A simultaneous narrative is also used to tell the story of Narmer the great unifier. Grinding eye paint is used in the palette because back then in Egypt both men and women wore it to protect their eyes from the sun by the reflected light.
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