The Narmer Palette - A New Interpretation

Good evening. This is Professor Rush once again, but taking a break from the new Christian cult, that is the ancient alien hunters, to consider something a bit more serious. This discussion has to do with a very important document from ancient Egypt known as the Narmer Palate. This is the Narmer Palate, as it's called, which comes from the early dynastic period of ancient Egypt, dating to around 3150 BCE or before current era. This was dedicated to King Narmer and or the god Horus at Heracompolis. This might be seen as Egypt's constitution. Heracompolis is located on the west side of the Nile in Upper Egypt, approximately 65 miles south of Thebes. The Palate is now on display in the Cairo Museum. There are several interpretations Egyptologists have attached with caution to the overall meaning of this Palate, all of which are in their own way probably correct. Trying to decipher the minds of living artists and politicians, I might add, is difficult at best. So you can appreciate the problems when attempting to decipher the art of those living over 5,000 years ago. Originally thought to represent a real event of King Narmer smiting his enemies and uniting Upper and Lower Egypt, a little look at the symbols suggests other possibilities. It could be a generalization about the power of the king, a uniting of Upper and Lower Egypt along with the Upper World and the Lower World, a justification for that power vested in the king, a mythical charter if you will, carved in stone. So it is written, so it shall be, and possibly an early rendition of the Books of the Netherworld. I'll come back to this shortly. As mentioned, these interpretations include that this is an historical battle scene where King Narmer is shown subduing his enemies of Lower Egypt or perhaps even Palestine or further east. Thus uniting Upper and Lower Egypt. Narmer appears to have been a real person and wars would have been necessary at times to bring all people into some mythic storyline that justifies kingship. This is the typical behavior of nation-states, that is the use of force to control masses of people. As a small group animal, we're not easily controlled by non-family or non-group members, and a powerful myth has to be installed that all can live by. In today's world, we can see the problems that result when there are competing myths regarding creation, how people should be ruled and so on. What we have also witnessed over the past few years is that governments can't control people as effectively and efficiently with violence and terror as they once did. People always rebel against authority when it's seen as illegitimate. Rebellion, often violent rebellion, has been made easier in the modern world through technology and chemistry. I'll come back to this idea that the Narmer palette represents a mythical charter, justifying unity at the end of this presentation. This new mythical charter, that is one individual who rules Upper and Lower Egypt, as well as a partner with the Sun God, traversing the heavens by day, bringing life to the world, and then the underworld at night, keeping evil or death at bay, was installed rather rapidly, perhaps in less than a generation, through ritual and pomp and circumstance. Wilkinson, in his recent The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt, suggests the symbols go beyond a historical battle and relate to the coming of Age of Egypt surpassing the city-states to the east, that is the ancient Sumerians, with the unification of all the gnomes or provinces creating the first nation-state. But Wilkinson rightly goes beyond this and brings the reality that Egyptian civilization throughout its existence has been a totalitarian despotic tradition, and this is no better illustrated than on the Narmer palette. Narmer in any case is simply a figurehead for justifying the authority of the king to smite his enemies, whoever and wherever they are. This is probably the most important meaning of the palette. This then takes us back to myth and mythical charters, or stories people create, like the Old Testament, concocted to give a special people special privileges and power over others. Despotic regimes always fall apart in time, but fragmentation can be slowed considerably if there is a promise, through myth and ritual, of a journey, although a dangerous journey, to another place. In other words, this world isn't it. If you behave properly according to the cosmic laws established by priest-poets, when your heart is weighed against a feather in the underworld, and if it's of the same balance, or weighs less than the feather, or motte, or cosmic laws, then you'll be judged a decent person by Osiris, the judge of the dead in the underworld, and pass into the field of reeds. Here we see a scribe by the name of Ani on the left being led to the scales by Anubis, the embalming god, and also the guide to the scales, to have his heart weighed against a feather, or motte, the symbol of the cosmic laws. Ani receives a name change as well, that is Ani Osiris. This name change is important, and I'll return to it shortly. To the right of the scale is the composite monster, Amut, who will eat your heart if your heart weighs more than the feather. The ancient Egyptians thought that you thought with your heart, and so if your heart is eaten, you can no longer think, or know your name, or the names, and uses of anything, and you simply fall into limbo, and can never resurrect. Ever heard the expression, eat your heart out? Well, this is where this expression comes from. There's no torture here. Amut simply eats your heart, and you cannot resurrect. Toth, the Ibis headed god, the god of writing and knowledge, writes down the results, while Amut anxiously waits for a meal. Ani passes the test, and is now led by Horus, the god of light, to be judged by Osiris. Ani Osiris is going to Osiris. Osiris is going to Osiris. I and the father are one. Where have you heard this before? If the deceased is judged a decent person, he or she would resurrect in the field of reeds. This place in the west, this field of reeds, is wonderful. It's just like the land that they left, but air-conditioned, with cold beer, plenty to eat, and people to do all the hard work for you. Egyptians were led to believe, through their rites and rituals, that they were chosen people, and that the Nile was their field of reeds in the living world. All foreigners were scum, and certainly no one wanted to die and be buried in a foreign land. This promise of resurrection, in part, kept the populace in line. Be good, and you'll resurrect, if you perform the proper rituals. More recently, O'Connor, in his article, The Narmer Palate, A New Interpretation, which is found in Before the Pyramids, edited by Emily Teeter, suggests that the palette goes beyond this depiction of a historical event, and suggests the Narmer Palate may also represent, perhaps, a human sacrifice to the Sun God. That is, giving energy back in the form of sacrifice, so the sunbark, or boat, with the bull, or raw, or Narmer, can engage the round of life and death, or day and night, which can now be standardized or completed with the unification of the gnomes. The Nile, a symbol of the journey through the underworld at night, and the heavens by day. My suggestion is that the Narmer Palate, in another sense, might also represent an early version of the Book of the Dead. Because there is no agreement on how to read the Narmer Palate, or where one should start and end, let me break all the symbols down and present their possible symbolic values, one at a time, and then present a review and new additions to our interpretation of this artifact. The top, or first register, is similar on both sides, with the image of Bat, a composite goddess, representing heaven, or the cosmic world of the gods, who eventually evolves into Hathor, the cow goddess. Between the two heads is the horizon, or Akhet, or the two breasts of a reclining goddess who holds the sun aloft. The Akhet accommodates both the rising and setting sun. The analog to the Akhet is the door next to the swallow, which I will describe shortly. Below the Akhet is a seric, or nameplate, for one of the king's names. After around 2000 BCE, the Pharaoh had five names, four throne names, and the name he received when he was born. His first name is his Horus name, which we see here, which could include the symbolism of Horus, the mighty bull. The symbol of the bull is important. Once again, in this image, we're seeing the seric, the king's name, which, as I mentioned, by 2000 BCE, became the king's Horus name. Here, we see a catfish, or Nar, and a chisel, Mer, or fish chisel, or Narmer. In the second register, we see Narmer, represented as larger than all others. After all, he is the king. His large size indicates his importance and power, or more properly, the power of his office. The king is now a god on earth, or at least very closely connected to the Sun God through Horus, and the image of the bull to be discussed shortly. Consider the power of this myth, this metaphor, if you will. The Sun God and the king work in tandem with one another. The king in the middle world, between the positive and negative forces, of course. The king, through his melding with the Sun God at death, will assure that the sun will rise again. Long live the king. Also, keep in mind that writing was magical. We read in chapter 1, verse 1 of the Gospel of Saint John, In the beginning was the Word, a line from the Shabako stone, dating to the 25th dynasty of Egypt, or around 700 BCE. But conveying a philosophy that must go very deep into the past. Things written in stone are forever. So it is written, so it shall be. Even today, we tend to, very foolishly at times, believe as true the rhetoric of presidents and politicians. Students read course textbooks in history and sociology, psychology, anthropology, and so on, as if every word is true. Not much has changed in 5,000 years. Back to the Narmer palette. In back of Narmer is his sandal and cup bearer, who has a symbol in front of his face, which could be a star, or Seba, or a flower petal, perhaps a lotus, although this could be a Mesopotamian symbol, similar to that representing Venus. I think this is more likely a star symbol representing the netherworld. Under this symbol is a club, indicating slave or servant. Now, I translate this composite star club as servant in the netherworld. These two symbols, that is the star, petal, and club, are unlikely to be the cup bearer's name, unless this is his name or persona assumed in the netherworld. If this is correct, then this is a scene of the king's passage through the netherworld. This position will be supported by other symbols, as we'll see. All players are without shoes, suggesting this is hallowed ground, and not necessarily a war scene. Narmer has a fishing net, as suggested by some researchers, but more likely a bull's tail hanging from his waist, with some interesting additions to the shanty kilt, which may have magical significance, similar to the apron worn by the Freemasons. The red crown has several values, including a representation of lower Egypt, but the color includes not only red, but also yellow and orange. Red is considered a dangerous, but life-giving color, blood or the loss of blood. It is the color of the Sun, which heats the black soil and brings it to life. And it's also the color of the hair of Seth, the god who represents the power of chaos. Red could also bring forth the generative properties of Osiris, and resurrection in the field of reeds. In this portion of the second register, we see the king's vizier wearing a leopard skin, indicating that he's probably a priest or shaman, suggesting a twin hero motif of the warrior chief and his magician priest. Much the same as our mythical heroes Moses, the warrior chief, and his brother Aaron, the magician priest. In days of old, priests would accompany the king into battle, and perhaps some were there to help him make decisions, as would be the case in the journey through the underworld. Recall that it is the leopard skin chief, usually a priest or sometimes the next pharaoh, who says the prayers and touches the dead pharaoh's mouth during the opening of the mouth ceremony. Above and to the right of his face is a looped rope on top of a loaf of bread. In this context, these symbols could represent a type of restraining or knowing priest, or one who could predict or plan. In any case, in front of him are standard bearers, the first holding aloft possibly the king's placenta, which was carefully preserved throughout the king's lifetime, and possibly buried with the king, as has been shown in some cases. The placenta represents power because it supports or brings forth life. In this case, I believe that the placenta represents the power of protection, either going into battle or perhaps traversing the underworld and rebirth. In front of this standard bearer is a jackal, representing Anubis, the embalming god and guide in the underworld. And in front of him are two falcon gods, representing Horus in all his attributes, or simply the gods. This may be an early rendition of one's journey through the underworld, which begins in this world and reminiscent of the personnel that accompany the sun god Ra through the gates of the underworld. This is gate card seven from the twelve gates, which was published in 2007. In the top register near the center is the sun god Ra. Now get this, he is in his human form. In front of him is a decapitated prisoner. There are three in the original. And further to the right is a tied and bound prisoner. There are also three in the original. This is strikingly similar to the scene in the second register on the Narmer palette, especially when you factor in the image from the center register on the gate card seven from the book of Amduat. In the center register on the far left is the king and his entourage, except they're in a boat and king Narmer and escorts are walking. Also notice the sun god Ra with the help of Hathor, Seth, and many gods, subduing the symbol of primal evil, Apep or Apophis. This represents life, unity, and protection, and the promise of renewal. Apepi is never really killed, but as a primal symbol of evil, evil is subdued and kept close. Back to the Narmer palette and the far right scene in the second register. In front of the standard bearers are ten decapitated prisoners with genitals removed. Apparently their genitals have been placed on top of their heads, except for the one on the bottom left. Narmer did not kill these men in battle. This is not a battle scene and as has been suggested, this is a blood sacrifice to the sun god. And that blood sacrifice is composed of nine individuals wearing their penis as a hat, while the one on the bottom left is not. I'm not sure what this means, perhaps evil within and outside Egypt, perhaps the nine bows? I'm not sure if this is any more or less gory than the Aztecs cutting out the victim's heart, but it is a sacrifice and these types of human sacrifices are not uncommon in human prehistory. Why can this be said that this is not a battle scene? Going back to the original, you can see that there is significant space between the dead men and the standard bearers or broken symmetry, suggesting that this is a related but separate idea, not primarily a war or battle scene. Again, this is more likely a statement of sacrifice to the sun god Horus or Ra, for safe passage through his kingship, his connection to the sun god Horus, and his eventual passage through the heavens during the day and the underworld at night. This is suggested in the symbols above the decapitated men, which include the sun boat, in the middle of which is a bull's head, a reference to the king and also the sun god, floating above which is the avenging and protecting aspects of the god Horus, who is atop a harpoon. These signs are often interpreted as the name of the conquered region. If this name has remained the same throughout history of ancient Egypt, then the region conquered by Narmah is the seventh lower Egyptian province. But I'm not sure this makes sense in this context, for the boat is moving through a gate or the horizon, either entering or exiting the netherworld. What would seem more appropriate is Horus, the sun god or king, bringing life as he goes on his journey through the heavens during the day and conquering the enemies, the underworld, at night. The harpoon in this sense may simply represent protection or even movement or direction or safe passage through the gate to the left of the sparrow on the prow of the boat. I agree with others who suggest the sparrow is a symbol of greeting of the sun as it passes through the gateway, the akhet, symbolized by the door in front of the swallow. In the third register, we see an image which seems to come from Mesopotamia, with the composite snake necks anyway, and the lion body and head. The beards also suggest these men are foreigners. This suggests, as Bob Breyer has mentioned, that this palette was carved over a period of time, perhaps by two different individuals. In fact, this image may be the original image carved in such a way, unborrowed from Mesopotamia, to be used for grinding and retaining cosmetics, perhaps to anoint the god in the temple. Perhaps these composites and intertwined figures are not a reference to uniting Upper and Lower Egypt at all, but merely artistic convenience for, again, creating a space for grinding cosmetics. Although this image may have originated in Mesopotamia, it does show up during the 18th dynasty, representing the name of a town in Upper Egypt, and also in the various books of the netherworld in the New Kingdom, but usually with one person holding the heads of serpents or perhaps the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. The bottom register shows a bull crashing through a gate and trampling the foreigners underfoot. One possibility is that this refers to the breaching of a walled city and the subduing of its inhabitants, or perhaps this represents movements through the dark gates of the underworld. The upper register on both sides was discussed earlier. Again, the akhet is flanked by bat or hathor, with the seric under the horizon indicating that the sun rises and sets on the king, a god on earth. In the second register, we see the king with white crown of Upper Egypt smiting his enemies with sandal and cupbearer on his left. To the right of the victim's head is a harpoon, as we saw below Horus on the other side, underneath of which is what appears to be a plaque interpreted by some as a Megan prisoner. The location of Megan, possibly Oman, has never been identified with certainty and may be as far from Egypt as the Indus Valley in modern-day Pakistan. Others have suggested that the harpoon and plaque refer to the name of an actual person, Wash or Walsh. I don't think the artist would have personalized this object in that manner, that is for the name other than Narmer. This prisoner is a generalization for victory over enemies, but perhaps there's another meaning here. Just as Horus the hawk on the other side has a harpoon underneath, which may be a symbol of direction or protection, so too the harpoon next to the victim's head. The symbolic value, whatever it is, has to be the same for both harpoons. The plaque under the harpoon may be a door or entranceway, just as we saw in front of the swallow on the other side. My suggestion is that Narmer is conquering a gate guard or overcoming an obstacle on his journey toward uniting Upper and Lower Egypt, as well as Upper and Lower worlds. Above the victim is Horus the hawk, who holds a rope through a nose ring, or this is a harpoon or even an adze, subduing the dangers of the marshes, represented by the composite papyrus plants and human agency. This suggests that this image is symbolic of subduing evil in general, not necessarily a statement of subduing Lower Egypt. If this is an adze, this might also represent the opening of the mouth of this human agency. I don't think this is the case, because the hair and beard on this human agency does not appear to be Egyptian. Again, the king and sandal bearer are not wearing shoes, suggesting this is hallowed ground. The bottom register is interesting in that the man on the right seems to have his eyes open and is looking at what I interpret as an early rendition of the saw or symbol of protection. The saw is thought to represent a rolled up reed mat used by herdsmen for protection or shelter. This symbol might also represent the idea of a journey through time or the course of a day. The man on the left, who is missing genitals, appears to have his eyes closed, as would be expected if pure genitals had been cut off. He's dead. In front of his face appears to be another gate, although the detail is different from that in the above register. Although perhaps impossible to interpret, I suggest this is a warning. The gates in the underworld hold danger. They will cut away life, as with the castrated man on the left, although there is protection of life as well, as suggested by the saw and the intact genitals of the man on the right. Looking at these symbols and possible symbolic values, we see a mixture of Sumerian and Egyptian motifs, more Egyptian than Sumerian. The palette does relate to the unification of Egypt, but at a deeper level the palette speaks to the unification of the upper and lower worlds, with the king representing the conquering of enemies in this world, but also providing life to the world. By his journey through the heavens by day and protection of life, as he journeys through the gates of the underworld at night. The Narmer palette, although using Narmer as a reference, represents a powerful mythical charter, justifying the king's right to rule, and likewise perform his duty for all Egyptians, and perhaps the world, to bring life, both as the living and deceased king, and conquer his enemies in the living world and during the dangerous night journey.