04 · OBJECT · HIERAKONPOLIS
Narmer Palette One palette, two crowns, a difficult reading
Narmer appears with the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, but the palette does not tell the whole unification.
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History and context Evidence and facts Objects connected through time Further reading Where it is held Sources and references Comments Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.
⛶ Enlarge imageDECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · EXISTING EDITORIAL RESOURCE · TRACEKEEPERS Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis
Declared visual reconstruction for museographic context; it is not a photograph of the original nor documentary evidence.
History and context Narmer's palette presents the ruler with insignia of Upper and Lower Egypt, scenes of violence and intertwined animals. Preserved from a ritual deposit at Hierakonpolis, it condenses an imagery of dominance.
Its fame invites us to resolve it too quickly. The piece does communicate power; It does not force us to read each record as the report of a founding battle.
The piece comes from the main deposit of Hierakonpolis and preserves the Narmer serej. The two crowns and the violence structure a royal statement with enormous visual posterity.
The animals' intertwined necks create the central circle of a palette, but the object surpasses everyday use. Its scale and deposit indicate a ceremonial function whose precise occasion we do not know.
Evidence and interpretation Documented fact: The palette is associated with Narmer and uses iconography from Upper and Lower Egypt; comes from Hierakonpolis. Interpretation and caution: Whether it literally documents the political unification of Egypt or identifies each enemy is an interpretation, not an unambiguous contemporary record.
Documented extension: The Egyptian Ministry dates the palette to 3100 BCE, attributes it to Narmer and confirms its origin from Hierakonpolis.
Interpretation and expanded caution: Interpreting it as a literal record of the unification is an influential hypothesis, not an unequivocal chronicle.
Catalogue facts
Narrative date ca. 3100 BCE
Location Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt
Material carved greenschist
Context ritual deposit
Curatorial reading The documented fact and its interpretation appear separately in the evidence block.
Material Green shale according to the Egyptian Ministry file; also described as greywacke in literature
Provenance Hierakonpolis ritual repository
Documentary coverage 3 museum, heritage, primary corpus or research sources for this stop.
In this grouping Ceremonial palette with domination iconography. It is neither a weapon nor a literal chronicle of a battle. Stone29 Sculpture54 Kingship and power33 Arms and military equipment29 Inscriptions34
The order uses the midpoint of each approximate date range; ranges can overlap. Spacing does not represent elapsed time. Swipe, scroll or use the arrows. With the sequence focused, use ← / →, Home or End.
Earlier Later
≈425,000–375,000 years
Swanscombe handaxe Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age for the Hoxnian interglacial (MIS 11); editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈77,000–75,000 years
Engraved ochre from Blombos Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈25.500–23.500 BCE
Before the San San histories
Date of the representative element, not ethnic attribution of its authors.
Read the record ≈25.500–23.500 BCE
Before the name San San histories
Dating of the context of the slabs; anonymous authors.
Read the record PPNA · site proposal: ≈9600–8800 BCE, provisional
Engraved stone from Çakmaktepe Prehistory
Provisional date range for the site; not direct dating of this stone.
Read the record PPNA · ≈9600–8800 BCE, provisional proposal for the site
Grinding stone from Çakmaktepe Prehistory
Provisional date range for the site and the published tools; the identification of the image is unverified.
Read the record End of the 4th millennium BCE
Overlapping dates Warka Mask Sumer
The full 4th millennium BCE provides broad limits for chronological ordering; the record specifies the end of the millennium.
Read the record c. 3500–3100 BCE
Overlapping dates Cylinder seal Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record ca. 3300–3000 BCE
Overlapping dates Uruk Vase Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record You are viewing ca. 3100 BCE
Narmer Palette Ancient Egypt
Approximate dating according to the record.
Current record Towards 2900–2600 BCE
Worshiper of Tell Asmar Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record Towards 2400 BCE
Statue of Ebih-Il Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record ca. 2600–1900 BCE
Weights Indus civilisation
Date range for the system of weights, not a year-specific date for each example.
Read the record Reign of Sargon II · 721–705 BCE
Lamassu of Khorsabad Sumer
Reign interval associated with the piece.
Read the record 645–635 BCE
Ashurbanipal Hunt Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record c. 800–300 BCE
Heads on the wall Pre-Inca cultures
Framework of the set of architectural heads.
Read the record first quarter of the 5th century BCE
Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar Phoenicians
First quarter of the 5th century BCE
Read the record First half of the 4th century BCE
The statue was the urn Iberians
First half of the 4th century BCE; date of the funerary context.
Read the record 4th century BCE
The inscription of Pistiros Thracians
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record 10 / 19 In the centre: Narmer Palette
Also connected, without a comparable date (10) These objects are not placed after the others: an unknown date does not mean a more recent object.
You can scroll the first group without JavaScript. The other topics are also available below.
Sculpture Lion-man · ≈40,000 years · Aurignacian · PrehistoryLespugue · ≈28,000 years · PrehistoryZaraysk Bison · ≈23,000–21,000 years · PrehistoryShigir Idol · C. 10,000 BCE · approximation; debated dating · PrehistoryWarka Mask · End of the 4th millennium BCE · SumerGebel el-Arak knife · 3600–3200 BCE · Naqada II C–D · Ancient EgyptUruk Vase · ca. 3300–3000 BCE · SumerNarmer Palette · ca. 3100 BCE · Ancient Egypt — You are viewingBefore Yayoi · Middle Jōmon, ca. 3000 BCE · Yayoi JapanUr-Nanshe relief · Mid-3rd millennium BCE · reign of Ur-Nanshe · SumerThe goat from PG 1237 · ca. 2600–2400 BCE · SumerStele of the Vultures · Towards 2450–2425 BCE · SumerAkkadian sovereign head · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerBassetki Statue · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerNaram-Sin Stele · Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE · SumerBefore Pre-Inca Cultures · Kotosh-Mito Tradition, c. 2200–1500 BCE; the enclosure is usually situated around 1800 BCE. · Pre-Inca culturesQueen of the Night · 19th–18th centuries BCE · SumerBull-leaping · c. 1600–1450 BCE · Greek worldsWooden faces · c. 1600–1000 BCE, in several phases · Maya worldsHead 2 · c. 1200–900 BCE · Maya worldsThe voice of Ahiram · c. 11th–10th century BCE · PhoeniciansBefore the Scythians and Sakas · Final Bronze–Initial Iron, ca. 1200–600 BCE · Scythians and SakaBlack Obelisk · 825 BCE · SumerIvory in Nimrud · 9th–8th centuries BCE · PhoeniciansLas Limas · c. 1000–600 BCE · Maya worldsAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansLamassu of Khorsabad · Reign of Sargon II · 721–705 BCE · SumerThe Lanzón · c. 900–500 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesStele of Esarhaddon · 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE · SumerThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · IberiansThe Tello Obelisk · c. 800–500 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesAshurbanipal Hunt · 645–635 BCE · SumerHeads on the wall · c. 800–300 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesTwo voices in an urn · 530–520 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe god on the roof · Towards 510–500 BCE · Etruscans and RomeGlazed brick guards · 522–486 BCE · Achaemenid PersiaTwenty-three delegations · 6th–5th centuries BCE, mainly under Darius and Xerxes · Achaemenid PersiaSarcophagus of Eshmunazar · first quarter of the 5th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe statue was the urn · First half of the 4th century BCE · IberiansThe Raimondi Stele · c. 400–200 BCE according to MNAAHP · Pre-Inca culturesTorreáguila fountain spout · 101–125 CE · Etruscans and RomeThe date of 292 · 292 CE · Maya worldsArticulated doll from Tarragona · Late 3rd–4th century CE · Etruscans and RomeSeven heads · c. 500–700 CE · Bantu-speaking worldsSeated figure · 13th century, date attributed by the museum · Mande WorldsGold rhinoceros · ca. 1220–1290; found in 1933 · Bantu-speaking worldsZimbabwe birds · main period of Great Zimbabwe, c. 12th–15th centuries · Bantu-speaking worldsKongo crucifix · 16th–17th centuries · Bantu-speaking worldsKuba ndop · ca. 1760 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Before Persia · Central core c. seventeenth century BCE; Neo-Elamite additions between the ninth and sixth centuries BCE · Achaemenid PersiaLararium of Vilauba · Roman period · Etruscans and RomeThe Thracian Horseman · Roman era · diffusion especially in the 2nd–3rd centuries CE · ThraciansKingship and power Narmer Palette · ca. 3100 BCE · Ancient Egypt — You are viewingPuabi headdress · ca. 2600–2450 BCE · SumerUr-Nanshe relief · Mid-3rd millennium BCE · reign of Ur-Nanshe · SumerStele of the Vultures · Towards 2450–2425 BCE · SumerAkkadian sovereign head · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerNaram-Sin Stele · Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE · SumerSumerian King List · Towards 1800 BCE · SumerStele of Hammurabi · Towards 1750 BCE · SumerGrave Circle A and Chrysolakkos · 18th–16th centuries BCE · Greek worldsBurial at K IV · circa 1750–1550 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushTutankhamun's grave goods · death towards 1323 BCE · Ancient EgyptFu Hao’s burial goods · ca. 1200 BCE · Ancient ChinaTribute to Assyria · c. 848 BCE · PhoeniciansBlack Obelisk · 825 BCE · SumerLamassu of Khorsabad · Reign of Sargon II · 721–705 BCE · SumerKushite king · c. 721–664 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushStele of Esarhaddon · 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE · SumerAshurbanipal Hunt · 645–635 BCE · SumerIshtar Gate · 7th–6th centuries BCE · work of Nebuchadnezzar II · SumerTwenty-three delegations · 6th–5th centuries BCE, mainly under Darius and Xerxes · Achaemenid PersiaSarcophagus of Eshmunazar · first quarter of the 5th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe archer in gold · Type introduced from the late 6th century; specimen from the 4th century BCE. · Achaemenid PersiaSusa grave goods · c. 350 BCE · Achaemenid PersiaGolyamata Kosmatka · End of the 4th century – beginning of the 3rd century BCE; ritual burial at the beginning of the III according to Iskra. · ThraciansDenarius of Carisius · ≈25–23 BCE · IberiansThe date of 292 · 292 CE · Maya worldsPakal’s grave goods · sealed on 28 August 683 CE · Maya worldsCatalan Atlas · after 1375 and before November 1380 · Mande WorldsKuba ndop · ca. 1760 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Arms and military equipment Bilateral harpoon · ≈15,000 years · Magdalenian · PrehistoryNahal Hemar Knives · 8th millennium BCE · Pre-Pottery Neolithic B context · PrehistoryHolmegaard bow · ≈7000 BCE · PrehistoryGebel el-Arak knife · 3600–3200 BCE · Naqada II C–D · Ancient EgyptNarmer Palette · ca. 3100 BCE · Ancient Egypt — You are viewingStele of the Vultures · Towards 2450–2425 BCE · SumerNaram-Sin Stele · Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE · SumerBefore Phoenicia · 20th–18th centuries BCE · PhoeniciansTalayotic sword · ≈1200–1000 BCE · destruction of the talayot towards 790 BCE · IberiansThe lute-shaped dagger · Towards 1000–400 BCE · Gojoseon and early KoreaSteppe kurgans · 7th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and SakaBow and arrows in a case · 5th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and SakaCoțofenești helmet · Second half of the 5th century – beginning of the 4th century BCE · ThraciansGrave goods of Baza and Toya · First half of the 4th century BCE · IberiansA battle on a comb · Early 4th century BCE · Scythians and SakaThe Solokha gold comb · 4th century BCE · Greek worlds453 astragali from Alarcos · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · necropolis chronology · IberiansFalcata from Almedinilla · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · IberiansThe blade became straight · 5th–1st centuries BCE · Gojoseon and early KoreaVas dels Guerrers · 3rd–early 2nd century BCE · IberiansWarriors' Vase · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · IberiansThe Shield that Did Not Fight · Around 350–50 BCE · Celtic worldsGladiators Cup of Chavagnes · 25–75 CE · Etruscans and RomeThracian Gladiator from Cádiz · 67–100 CE · Etruscans and RomeWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Inscriptions Naqada labels · ca. 3300–3100 BCE · Ancient EgyptNarmer Palette · ca. 3100 BCE · Ancient Egypt — You are viewingUr-Nanshe relief · Mid-3rd millennium BCE · reign of Ur-Nanshe · SumerStele of the Vultures · Towards 2450–2425 BCE · SumerBassetki Statue · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerIndus seals · ca. 2600–1900 BCE · Indus civilisationNaram-Sin Stele · Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE · SumerStele of Hammurabi · Towards 1750 BCE · SumerPhaistos Disc · ≈1700–1650 BCE · Greek worldsLinear A · c. 1700–1500 BCE · Greek worldsThe voice of Ahiram · c. 11th–10th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe Cascajal Block · Proposed c. 1000–900 BCE · Maya worldsBlack Obelisk · 825 BCE · SumerAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansStele of Esarhaddon · 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE · SumerIvory with names · End of the 7th century–first half of the 6th century BCE · PhoeniciansShabti of Psamtek · 570–526 BCE · Ancient EgyptUni was also Astarte · Towards 510 BCE · Etruscans and RomeSarcophagus of Eshmunazar · first quarter of the 5th century BCE · PhoeniciansEzerovo Ring · 5th century BCE · chronology discussed in the bibliography · ThraciansTwenty-six voiceless signs · 5th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and SakaThe inscription of Pistiros · 4th century BCE · ThraciansYan knife-money in the Gojoseon sphere · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · Ancient ChinaLead tablet · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · IberiansA coin with the memory of a blade · 323–222 BCE · Gojoseon and early KoreaA sky over the liver · End of the second–beginning of the first century BCE · Etruscans and RomeHand of Irulegui · First third of the 1st century BCE · IberiansBetatun altar · 1st century BCE–1st century CE · IberiansThe date of 292 · 292 CE · Maya worldsKilwa coin · 1482–1493 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
A closer look About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: September 5, 2026 .
Read the name and look at the entourage Narmer's name is written using the signs of a catfish and a chisel within the frame depicting a palatial façade. Near the main figures also appears the bearer of the king's sandals, a small character but repeated on both sides. Amy Calvert points out that the sovereign could also be represented as the bull charging a walled city: that identification is interpretive, not an inscription that names the animal. The palette thus combines phonetic writing, human companions and possible animal equivalences within the same construction of royal power.
Where it is held Item or group in the record · Documented collection
Official file of the Narmer Palette.
The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.
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