The Narmer Palette
Narmer might have been the founder of the first dynasty and also might have been Menes or even the scorpion king. We know that the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt happened during this period and this is obvious from the scenes where Narmer is wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt. Before talking about the Narmer Palette we should identify the palette. A palette is an instrument used to grind cosmetics especially Malachite. The Narmer Palette was made for the purpose of commemorating a certain event which is the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by Narmer. The palette is made out of green shist and was recovered by Quibell in 1894 at Herakonopolis (El Kom El Ahmar). It is inscribed on its two sides, high relief.
The recto:
It is divided into 3 registers. The first register on both sides is the same. It bares the image of two bovine heads with a human face. Between them there is the serkh baring the name of the king Narmer featuring a chisel and a fish. The name means the digger of the canal. The serkh is a square shape decorated with the façade of the palace and usually houses the Hr or the Hr nbw name of the king.
The second register shows the king in a larger scale than the rest of he figures bearing the signs of royalty. He is wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt, holding a mace head, has the false royal beard, wearing the Sndit and a false ox or leopard tail. The king is featured smiting an enemy - with the inscription of wa S or the only water which might indicate a certain place from which this person came - and grabbing him from his hair as a sign of humiliation and subjugation. Behind him there is the bity Hm or the sandal barer with his title inscribed next to him. He is holding a pot of water and a pair of place.
Top right there is another image of the king in the shape of Horus – as the king is the living image of Horus on earth - controlling an enemy by a king of stick like instrument puling him from the nose which symbolizes humiliation and the head of this enemy – which almost has the same facial features of the one mentioned above - emerges from the hieroglyphic sign of land sprouting from it six papyrus plants. This image signifies the king’s victory over the rebels of Lower Egypt as the papyrus is the symbol of Lower Egypt.
The final register contains two figures escaping from some one or some thing they are afraid of and the inscription beside them might indicate the cities they have come from.
The verso:
In the second register the king is represented wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt to satisfy the people of Lower Egypt. He is baring the same royal features including the flail. His name is inscribed beside him but not in a serkh probably because he is not the original king of these people. Behind him there is his sandal barer with a sign on his head that might indicate the royal palace. In this case it means that the king is coming from the palace to attend a certain ceremony. In front of the king there is a very important figure. The inscription beside him is the old form of the word vaty which means vizier. He is also a scribe as he is holding the two ink pots. In front of the vizier there are the standard bearers. The symbols they are holding are animal figures a jackal, two falcons and the last may represent animal skin or the placenta of some kind. These signs probably represent the four cardinals of the world. In this case it means that the king is announcing his victory to the world. Then we see two rows of decapitated prisoners in a humiliating manner. All of them are crossed legs except for the first two. This might be because they are the leaders or because there was not enough space. Above the prisoners there is a falcon, a kind of building and a boat. The building represents the temple in which the king will attend the ceremony. The falcon represents Horus who is waiting for the king at the temple. The boat indicates that the king will announce his victory outside Egypt which is relevant with the four cardinals of the world as mentioned before.
The next register shows two incredible animals being kept from fighting by being tied away by two men who are standing of their tails and might represent the followers of the king. The two animals represent the two forces of Upper and Lower Egypt who are being stopped from fighting. The circle that is formed as a result of the intersection of the necks of the animals form the place where the Malachite is grinded. This image reinforces the unification of the two forces.
The last register features a strong bull – which was a symbol of the king – attacking a fortress and stepping on an enemy which indicated his full control.
The statue of Hetepdief
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The above is a non royal statue of the priest Hetepdief. A priest was a very important figure in Ancient Egypt. There were five kinds of priests in ancient Egypt; the high priest who was responsible for all temples. The lector priest he was responsible for hymns and rituals of festivals, the purification priest, the daily life priest and the funerary priest. Priesthood was a very high rank as he is the connection between the divine and the mortal. Thus they have a great influence on all aspects of life including the power of the king. They could either consolidate his power by supporting him or they could weaken his power and take over his post by disagreeing with him.
The statue:
This statue dates back either to the archaic period or to the Old Kingdom. It was found in Memphis. The statue either dates to the end of the 2nd dynasty due to the names inscribed at the back or to the beginning of the 3rd dynasty due to the artistic technique which is high relief popular at that time. He is featured kneeling in a prayer position. The statue is made out of pink granite. The statue is wearing a short curly hair wig. Hetepdief may have lived during the 2nd or 3rd dynasty. The importance of the statue lies in and inscription on the back of the right shoulder bearing the names of the three last kings of the 2nd dynasty. The statue is ugly and not well represented. It almost has no neck and the back of the supposed neck is covered with the hair wig to support it. This is because the neck is supposed to be a weak spot in the statue. The sculptor who carved this statue was either not well crafted or didn’t put effort in the statue because it was not a royal statue. He even filled the gap between the arms and the body. The knees of the statue are almost flat.
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On the back of the right shoulder of the statue there are three serkhs bearing the names of Hetepskhemwy, Reneb and Nenether in this order. Each serkh is surmounted by a falcom representing Horus and in front of the serkhs there is an image representing the bnbn with a phoenix on top of it as a sign of eternity.
The statue of king Khasekhem(wy)
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Two statues and some vases were found belonging to this king who is considered to be the last king or the one before the last of the 2nd dynasty. Khasekhem was able to stop the rebels in Delta and unite the two powers of Seth and Horus. His royal serkh was surmounted by the two above mentioned gods. The statue is made out of green schist. He is seated on the throne wearing the crown of Upper Egypt and the Jubilee garment. He might have been holding a kind of insignia or scepter in his hand due to the whole that is formed between his fingers. The statue was recovered from Heroknopolis by James Quibell in 1898. The statue has delicate facial features especially around the eyes, the check bones, the neck and the mouth. The sculptor avoided details of the body by the jubilee garment. He is featuring putting his left hand on his right one which is a traditional pose to the Ancient Egyptians. It should be the other way in order to obey the commands of the heart. This is because the existence of another statue that is almost the same but in the traditional way wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt and the sculptor had to create symmetry between the two statues. On the base of the statue there is the number of crushed enemies inscribed in Ancient Egyptian language stating 47,209 rebels. On the side there are representations of figures of the rebels.
The figure in Hieroglyphic:
Dba =<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!-- = 40,000
XaA = <!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!--<!-- = 7,000
St = <!--<!--<!--<!-- = 200
wa = <!--<!-- <!--<!-- <!--<!-- <!--<!-- <!--<!-- <!--<!-- <!--<!-- <!--<!-- <!--<!-- = 9
The Libyan Tablet
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It is also called the foundation tablet. It was called the Libyan Tablet because it has an inscription of a city in Libya. It is made out of green schist and was found in Herokonopolis by James Quibell. The top of the tablet is broken.
The first surface is divided into 4 registers. The first three registers contains animal of one kind walking in a procession marching to a certain place. The first is a row of oxen, the second is a row of donkeys and the third is a row of ramps. The last ramp is carved in a smaller scale and is looking backward either to look back at a follower or there was not enough space to carve his head towards the front or the sculptor did so to break the monotony of the scene. The last register contains eight trees in two rows proceeded by the Tehenu stick. The Tehenu and the Temehu people are the enemies of Egypt in Libya.
The other face of the tablet contains fortresses surmounted by animals and birds. Inside the fortresses there is an inscription which is not known. Only the middle one in the last row means (Buto) which is a well known Egyptian city.
The Jubilee vase
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The vase is a funerary object excavated from Saqqara found in the subterranean galleries under the step pyramid. It bears the scene of the jubilee festival platform. The platform is connected to two stairs from each side. The king after completing his jubilee festival ascends the platform from both sides and sticks a stick on it to prove his power over Upper and Lower Egypt. The Saqquara complex contains such a platform. The vase is made out of alabaster which is not traditional of this period. Under the platform is the god Heh supporting it. He is the symbol of Eternity to the Ancient Egyptians. On top of the platform there is the two thrones of Upper and Lower Egypt surmounted by a scarab which is another symbol of eternity.
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