IMAGES OF POWER: PREDYNASTIC and OLD KINGDOM EGYPT: FOCUS (Egyptian Sculpture of Predynastic and Old Kingdom Egypt) ONLINE ASSIGNMENT: http://smarthisto ry.khanacademy .org/palette-of- king- narmer.html TITLE or DESIGNATION: Palette of Narmer CULTURE or ART HISTORICAL PERIOD: Predynastic Egyptian DATE: c. 3100- 3000 B.C.E. MEDIUM: slate TITLE or DESIGNATION: Seated Statue of Khafre, from his mortuary temple at Gizeh CULTURE or ART HISTORICAL PERIOD: Old Kingdom Egyptian DATE: c. 2575-2525 B.C.E. MEDIUM: diorite ONLINE ASSIGNMENT: https://www.khanacademy.org/human ities/ancient-art-civilizations/egypt- art/predynastic-old-kingdom/a/king- menkaure-mycerinus-and-queen TITLE or DESIGNATION: King Menkaure and his queen (possibly Khamerernebty) CULTURE or ART HISTORICAL PERIOD: Old Kingdom Egyptian DATE: c. 2490-2472 B.C.E. MEDIUM: slate ONLINE ASSIGNMENT: https://www.khanacademy. org/humanities/ancient- art-civilizations/egypt- art/predynastic-old- kingdom/v/the-seated- scribe-c-2620-2500-b-c-e TITLE or DESIGNATION: Seated Scribe from Saqqara CULTURE or ART HISTORICAL PERIOD: Old Kingdom Egyptian DATE: c. 2450-2325 B.C.E. MEDIUM: painted limestone with inlaid eyes of rock crystal, calcite, and magnesite IMAGES OF POWER: PREDYNASTIC and OLD KINGDOM EGYPT: SELECTED TEXT (Egyptian Sculpture of Predynastic and Old Kingdom Egypt) The Palette of King Narmer, c. 3100-3000 BCE, slate Dating from about the 31st century BCE, this “palette” contains some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. It is thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the king Narmer. On one side, the king is depicted with the bulbous White crown of Upper (southern) Egypt, and the other side depicts the king wearing the level Red Crown of Lower (northern) Egypt. The object itself is a monumental version of a type of daily use item commonly found in the predynastic period—palettes were generally flat, minimally decorated stone objects used for grinding and mixing minerals for cosmetics. Dark eyeliner was an essential aspect of life in the sun-drenched region; like the dark streaks placed under the eyes of modern athletes, black cosmetic around the eyes served to reduce glare. Basic cosmetic palettes were among the typical grave goods found during this early era. In addition to these simple, purely functional, palettes however, there were also a number of larger, far more elaborate palettes created in this period. These objects still served the function of being a ground for grinding and mixing cosmetics, but they were also carefully carved with relief sculpture. Many of the earlier palettes display animals —some real, some fantastic—while later examples, like the Narmer palette, focus on human actions. Research suggests that these decorated palettes were used in temple ceremonies, perhaps to grind or mix makeup to be ritually applied to the image of the god. Later temple ritual included elaborate daily ceremonies involving the anointing and dressing of divine images; these palettes likely indicate an early incarnation of this process. A large picture in the center of the Palette depicts Narmer wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt, and wielding a mace. To his left is a man bearing the king's sandals, flanked by a rosette symbol. To the right of the king is a kneeling prisoner, who is about to be struck by the king. A pair of symbols appear next to his head, perhaps indicating his name, or indicating the region where he was from. Above the prisoner is a falcon, representing Horus, perched above a set of papyrus flowers, the symbol of Lower Egypt. In his talons he holds a rope-like object which appears to be attached to the nose of a man's head that also emerges from the papyrus flowers, perhaps indicating that he is drawing life from the head. Horus was born to the goddess Isis after she retrieved all the dismembered body parts of her murdered husband Osiris. Isis used her powers to resurrect Osiris in order to conceive a son. Once Isis knew she was pregnant with Horus, she fled to the Nile Delta marshlands to hide from her brother Seth who jealously killed Osiris and who she knew would want to kill their son. Pyramid texts c. the 25th century BCE describe the nature of the pharaoh as both Horus and Osiris. The pharaoh as Horus in life became the pharaoh as Osiris in death, where he was united with the rest of the gods. New incarnations of Horus succeeded the deceased pharaoh on earth in the form of new pharaohs. The “Eye of Horus” is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and royal power from deities, in the is case from Horus or Ra, the sun god (sometimes spelled “Re”). The symbol is seen on images of Horus’ mother Isis and on other deities associated with her. Two human-faced bovine heads, thought to represent the patron cow goddess Bat, flank the serekhs, uncharacteristically shown in full frontal view. This frontal display of the cows is atypical in ancient Egyptian art except for representations of this goddess and Hathor (who often appears in this view also). Some authors suggest that the images represent the vigor of the king as pair of bulls. Below the king's feet is a third section, depicting two naked, bearded men. They are either running, or are meant to be seen as sprawling dead upon the ground. Appearing to the left of the head of each man is a hieroglyphic sign, the first a walled town, the second a type of knot, likely indicating the name of a defeated town. A figure, named by hierogylphic inscription and standing on his own ground-line, holds the king’s sandals. Narmer is barefoot because he is standing on sacred ground, performing sacred acts. The same sandal-bearer, likewise labeled, follow Narmer on the other side of the palette. Phonetic hieroglyphs centered at the top of each side of the palette name the king: a horizontal fish (nar( above a vertical chisel (mer). A depiction of the royal palace- seen simultaneously from above, as a groundplan, and frontally, as a façade (front wall of a building) – surrounds Narmer’s name to signify that he is a king. Next to the heads of these two defeated enemies are, on the left, an aerial depiction of a fortified city, and on the right, a gazelle trap, perhaps emblems of Narmer’s dominion over both city and countryside. Below the bovine heads thought to represent the cow goddess Bat, who was the patron deity of the seventh nome of Upper Egypt, is what appears to be a procession, with Narmer depicted at almost the full height of the register (a traditional artistic representation emphasizing his importance), shown wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, whose symbol was the papyrus. He holds a mace and a flail, two traditional symbols of kingship. Two men are holding ropes tied to the outstretched, intertwining necks of two serpopards confronting each other, mythical felines with bodies of leopards (or more likely lionesses, given that there are no spots indicated) and snakelike necks. The circle formed by their exaggeratedly curving necks is the central part of the Palette, which is the area where the cosmetics would be ground. These animals have been considered an additional symbol for the unification of Egypt, but it is a unique image in Egyptian art and there is nothing to suggest that either animal represents an identifiable part of Egypt, although each had lioness war goddesses as protectors and the intertwined necks may represent the unification of the state. Contemporary 3000 BC cylinder Similar images of such mythical animals are seal of Uruk displaying known from other contemporaneous cultures, similar serpopard and there are other examples of late-predynastic motif, Louvre. objects (including other palettes and knife handles) which borrow similar elements from Mesopotamian iconography. In the uppermost register, Narmer, wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt, reviews the beheaded bodies of the enemy. The dead are seen from above, their heads placed in between their legs. The Palette has raised considerable scholarly debate over the years. In general the arguments fall into one of two camps: scholars who believe that the Palette is a record of actual events, and other academics who argue that it is an object designed to establish the mythology of united rule over Upper and Lower Egypt by the king. The identity of Narmer is the subject of ongoing debate, although mainstream Egyptological consensus identifies Narmer with the Protodynastic pharaoh Menes (or "Merinar" reversing the 2 hieroglyphs which spell "Narmer"). Menes is also credited with the unification of Egypt, as the first pharaoh. This conclusion of joint identity is evidenced by different royal titularies in the archaeological and historical records, respectively. In later texts, the Red Crown is connected with bloody battles fought by the sun god just before the rosy-fingered dawn on his daily journey and this scene may well be related to this. It is interesting to note that the foes are shown as not only executed, but rendered completely impotent—their castrated penises have been placed atop their severed heads. On the other face, Narmer wears the Upper Egyptian White Crown* (which looks rather like a bowling pin) as he grasps an inert foe by the hair and prepares to crush his skull. The White Crown is related to the dazzling brilliance of the full midday sun at its zenith as well as the luminous nocturnal light of the stars and moon. By wearing both crowns, Narmer may not only be ceremonially expressing his dominance over the unified Egypt, but also the early importance of the solar cycle and the king’s role in this daily process.