The Narmer Palette

The historical date that I selected is 3100 BC which is the approximate date of the creation of the Narmer Palette. I selected this date because the Narmer Palette possesses symbolic depictions of the ancient Egyptian culture. The visuals carved in the palette reveal the details of the unification of Egypt, which is an event that represents the commencement of the ancient Egyptian civilization. The discovery of the Narmer Palette is significant in the world of archaeology as well. There is an abundance of knowledge within the artifacts that are uncovered at ancient civilizations; therefore, what archaeologists know about an ancient culture revolves largely around the items that are discovered through excavations. The Narmer Palette was discovered

This event shaped Egypt into a more impressive civilization with a greater impact that would withstand until the civilization fell to the hands of the Roman Empire. The Egyptian King Narmer was the individual who succeeded at unifying Upper and Lower Egypt in 3100 BC. On the Palette, King Narmer wears the white crown of Upper Egypt on the back and the red crown of Lower Egypt on the front which symbolizes Narmer’s unification and recently established control over the entire country. To officially destroy the barrier between Upper and Lower Egypt, Narmer combined the red and white crowns to make a double crown that would be worn by all future pharoahs. After the unification occurred and the palette was created, Egypt altered the civilization’s religious practices by combining the traditions of Upper and Lower Egypt. This allowed Egypt to start worshipping the same deity, Horus, which resulted in a more advanced and consistent faith. Also, the Egyptian government started collecting taxes from the population which caused Egypt's wealth to increase. This economic prosperity allowed the pharaohs to commence the practice of building tombs for the afterlife called mastabas. The unification of Egypt also resulted in an increase in trade, a distribution system for food, and the creation of hieroglyphics. The Palette itself impacted history because of its

The Palette and its detailed carvings symbolizing the unification of Egypt gives both scholars and students a look into the ancient Egyptian culture. The palette describes Narmer’s status and retells the events that occurred during the unification that allowed Narmer to take control of both Upper and Lower Egypt. On the front of the palette, Narmer holds a mace and a flail to represent his royalty and his large build represents his power over the Egyptian population. The middle level shows two intertwined cats which symbolizes the recent unity of Upper and Lower Egypt. Throughout the carvings, Narmer wears a bull's tail to show his strength while he performs an execution to thank the deities after his victory. The Narmer Palette is one of the few art pieces that depicts this historical event; therefore, it allows us to better understand the history that resulted during the early dynastic period which occurred right after the unification. Egyptian culture is also described through the basic functions of both the Narmer Palette and the simple palettes used by the ancient Egyptians daily. Palettes were commonly used to grind makeup for daily use or religious ceremonies to spiritually apply to their deities. Palettes played an important role for Egyptians during everyday life