The Libyan Palette or Palette of the Scorpion King PDF

# The Libyan Palette or Palette of the Scorpion King ### Material - Grey schist or greywacke called (bhn) in hieroglyphs - Quarried from Wadi Hammamat in Sinai and the Eastern Desert - Showcase displays a replica of the back side made of schist - Replica is placed beside the original masterpiece...

# The Libyan Palette or Palette of the Scorpion King ### Material - Grey schist or greywacke called (bhn) in hieroglyphs - Quarried from Wadi Hammamat in Sinai and the Eastern Desert - Showcase displays a replica of the back side made of schist - Replica is placed beside the original masterpiece ### Provenance - Discovered at Abydos - Called 3bdw in hieroglyphs - Main cult centre of Osiris and his triad (Osiris, Isis and Horus) - Current Arabic name of Abydos is El-Araba or El-Araba Elmadfouna, a village in Sohag governorate ### Dating - Probably dates to the reign of the Scorpion King, Zero Dynasty or Proto-dynastic Period (Naqada III) ## Historical Background About the Scorpion King (Scorpion II) - Several theories regarding his identity and chronological order - Some Egyptologists argue that Scorpion was the same person as Narmer because Egyptian kings of the First Dynasty seem to have multiple names - They argue that artistic style seen on the mace-head of Scorpion II shows similarities to that on the famous Narmer mace-head - Assuming Scorpion did in fact exist, it is suggested that he came from the ancient town of Nekhen (Hierakonpolis), rather than the Thinite nome (Thinis or This and in Egyptian language: Tjenu) - This is largely due to the fact that his macehead was discovered in the cache at Nekhen - The Narmer Macehead and Palette were also found in the main deposit of the temple of Nekhen - No other evidence to support the conclusion that Scorpion was based in Nekhen rather than in the Thinite nome (at modern-day Girga or a neighbouring town, possibly in El-Birba, Sohag) - Similarity in the style of the Scorpion Macehead and the Narmer Macehead has led experts to suggest that they were contemporaries - Some Egyptologists propose that Scorpion was actually Narmer ## Tomb - No burial site has been conclusively linked to Scorpion - Possible that an uninscribed four chambered tomb (B50) in Abydos was his burial place. - John Darnell may be right to attribute tomb U-J at Abydos to him - No artefacts attributed to or referring to Scorpion have been found at Abydos. - Bard suggests that tomb U-J is at least one hundred years older than the tombs of zero Dynasty at Abydos ## Historical Background About Palettes and Their Development in Ancient Egypt - Palettes were usually made of schist (slate or greywacke). - Used to grind pigments such as malachite (copper carbonate hydroxide) or galena from which the eye paint (kohl) was made to be used as cosmetic for the eyes - Known as cosmetic palettes - Eye-paint was believed to protect against sun-glare and maintain healthy eyesight - Palettes were normally buried with the deceased as funerary equipment. - They were also used to record historical and religious events. - Each palette has a recto and verso side distinguished by the depression in the middle of the verso. - Earliest examples of palettes, dating to the pre-dynastic period, were simply triangular or rectangular in shape - Later developed to animal shapes such as hippopotami and turtles or later in the form of birds and fish. - Before the beginning of the First Dynasty, palettes developed in their use from grinding malachite and galena to commemorate a royal victory, successful hunting or a foundation ceremony. - Some were placed as ex-votos (votive) palettes in the temples of deities. - They were usually oval or shield-shaped and were used as votive or commemorative items in temples rather than grave or funerary items. - The Narmer palette can be classified under this type of palettes. - It is a commemorative and votive palette as it commemorates the victory of Narmer on the people of Lower Egypt. - King Narmer dedicated it as a votive palette to the temple of Horus at Nekhen or Hierakonpolis. ## Description - Libyan palette is partly damaged, only the lower part survived - Cannot tell which side is the verso, or the recto due to the absence of the circular depression. - Terms front side and back side can be used to describe the palette instead of recto and verso. - It is argued that this palette commemorates the victory on the Libyan lands known to the Egyptians as “Tjehenu (Thnw)”, and “Temehu (Tmhw)”. - It is also argued that it commemorates the tributes that were given to Egypt from these lands. ### The First (Front) Face - Divided into four registers. - The first three registers depict scenes of animals or cattle, while the 4th register shows groups of trees in two rows, which are likely olive trees. - All the scenes are carved in high reliefs. - It is clear that the last animal in each of the first three registers is a little bit smaller in size than the other animals in the same line. - This is mainly because the palette itself takes shield shape and it decreases in width towards its bottom. - The animals are given to Egypt by the Tjehenu tribe as a kind of tribute or mutual trade. #### The 1st Register - Depicts a group of four bulls or oxen, which are shown walking or standing one behind the other in a row. - They have large eyes topped by several ridges or a number of lines or wrinkles around them. - The musculature of the limbs is well stylized and stresses the power of the bulls. - They are shown with strong stylised muscles, bulging on the shoulders and legs. - The horns of the last bull are overlapping the preceding one. - The diminishing size of bulls toward the end of the line is most likely because of the lack of space. #### The 2nd Register - Depicts a group of four donkeys, they are all the same size but the last one is smaller than the others, most likely because of the lack of space. - They are shown with characteristic stripes on their shoulders. #### The 3rd Register - Shows a group of five rams. - The last ram is smaller in size than the others and it turns its head to the back. - This is likely to solve the problem of the lack of space. - Further, the head of the last ram is turned back probably to break the monotony of the scenes. - The 1st register shows four oxen, the 2nd shows four donkeys, while the 3rd shows five rams because the ram is smaller in size than the ox and the donkey. - It should be noted that the animals decrease in size towards the left-hand side edge of the palette. #### The 4th Register - Depicts a group of olive trees, arranged in two rows. - They are eight in number. - Olive trees had been grown in Libya. - At the end of this register on the right-hand side, there is an inscription in hieroglyphs of a throwing stick on a piece of land (t3 in hieroglyphics) - They give the name of a Libyan tribe called in hieroglyphs Tjehenu (Thnw). - It is a region located at the western edge of the Delta, which in earlier times included parts of Libya. - It is a very fertile region which provided Egypt with cattle and olive oil, whether as tribute or in times of mutual trade. - Thus, this palette is called the Libyan Palette due to all the above-mentioned reasons. ## Historical Background About the Libyan Land Tjehenu (Thnw) - Egyptian records attest that the Tjehenu attained power and prosperity, as appears from booty (spoil) gained from the Libyans by king Khasekhem of the 2nd Dynasty and king Snefru of the 4th Dynasty. - The booty of Snefru is mentioned in Palermo Stone which states that Tjehenu provided Egypt with 13,100 head of cattle as well as olive oil. ## The Second or Back Face of the Palette - On the uppermost part of this face, there is a representation of human feet, but the rest of the scene is destroyed. - This face shows symbols of royal power including a lion, falcon, scorpion and a pair of falcons standing on two standards, which symbolize Horus of the South and Horus of the North respectively. - All the symbols of royal power are equipped with hoes and participating in a foundation ceremony, just as the king was later to be represented. - These symbols are shown on top of seven fortified towns inside enclosure walls. - Thus, the symbols of royal power are shown participating in the foundation ceremony of seven fortified nomes or provinces. - The name of each nome is inscribed in hieroglyphic signs inside each enclosure wall. - The nomes are arranged in two rows, the first row shows four nomes in the form of fortified enclosure walls, while the second contains three nomes in the same forms. ### The First Row from Right to Left #### 1- The Owl Nome (First Fortified Enclosure Wall) - Shows a fortified enclosure wall topped by a falcon, symbol of god Horus. - The falcon is equipped with a hoe participating in the foundation of this nome. - The name of the nome is inscribed using the hieroglyphic letter m in the form of an owl. - It is plausible that the letter m here is a primitive form of the name Ym, which is the name of el-Fayium province in the Egyptian language. - El-Fayium was also called šdt and it was the main cult centre of the crocodile god Sobek. #### 2- The Benu (bnw) Nome (Second Fortified Enclosure Wall) - Shows a fortified enclosure wall topped by a damaged royal symbol equipped with a hoe participating in the foundation of this nome. - It is plausible that the symbol of royal power was that of the Sethian animal. - The name of the nome is inscribed in the form of a crested bird called phoenix or bnw in hieroglyphics. - It is the sacred bird of Iwnw or Heliopolis. - The phoenix is the b3 of the sun god Re. - Therefore, it is argued that this nome is Heliopolis, the main cult centre of the sun god Re. - Nowadays, it includes the regions of Ain Shams and Matarya in Cairo. #### 3- The Wrestlers Nome (Third Fortified Enclosure Wall) - Shows a fortified enclosure wall topped by a damaged royal symbol, probably equipped with a hoe participating in the foundation of this nome. - The name of the nome is carved in the form of two male wrestlers. - They symbolise Horus and Seth during their fight or contending which took place at Buto. - The latter was also called Pr-W3dt (the house of Wadjet) which was the capital of Lower Egypt before the unification. - Pr-W3dt included the cities of P (P in hieroglyphics) and Dp before they merge into one city. - Its current Arabic name is Tell el-Farafin near Desouq, Kafr el-Sheikh governorate. - It is located 95 km east of Alexandria to the west of the Nile Delta. - The city was located on the Sebennytic branch of the Nile near its mouth. #### 4- The Kheper (hpr) Nome (Fourth Fortified Enclosure Wall) - Shows a fortified enclosure wall topped by a damaged royal symbol, probably equipped with a hoe participating in the foundation of this nome. - The name of the nome is inscribed in the form of a scarab, hpr in hieroglyphs. - Therefore, it is called the Kheper nome. - The scarab is the symbol of god Kheperi, who is one of the forms of the sun god Re representing the sun rise. - It is argued that this nome is likely Abydos (3bdw in hieroglyphs), the main cult centre of Osiris and his triad (Osiris, Isis and Horus) in Upper Egypt or another unknown nome. - The current Arabic name of Abydos is El Araba or El Araba Elmadfuna, which is a village in Sohag governorate. ### The Second Row from Right to Left #### 1- The Ka (k3) Nome (First Fortified Enclosure Wall) - Shows a fortified enclosure wall topped by a lion, as a symbol of royal power or it probably represents the king himself. - The lion is equipped with a hoe participating in the foundation of this nome. - However, it was also argued that the symbols of royal power on top of this enclosure wall and the other two walls in the same row are shown destroying these nomes. - According to this hypothesis, the destruction of these nomes symbolise their defeat by the Scorpion king in his attempt to unify Upper and Lower Egypt. - However, there is no evidence to support this hypothesis. - The name of this nome is inscribed using the hieroglyphic biliteral sign in the form of two upraised arms. - Therefore, it is called the (Ka nome). - However, there is no attested province in ancient Egypt called so. - Further, it is argued that the fortified enclosure wall may be pronounced as hwt. - This argument is based on the fact that Hwt-k3-Pth (the house of the ka of Ptah) is one of the ancient names of Memphis itself and the name of the temple of god Ptah the patron god of Memphis. - Therefore, it is argued that this nome is probably Memphis, the well-known ancient capital of Egypt. - According to Manetho, the city was founded by Menes, as the capital of unified Egypt, who called it Inb hd, ‘the white wall' indicating the white limestone enclosure wall which was surrounding the city. - The current Arabic name of Memphis is Mit Rahina, a village in el-Giza. - The Greek name Memphis is derived from the name of the pyramid complex of king Pepy I at Saqqara. - Thus, the complex name Mennefer Pepy (Mn-nfr Ppy) eventually became the name for the entire city of Memphis after the 18th Dynasty. N.B. The Greek name of Egypt Αίγυπτος (Ai-gy-ptos) written by the historian Manetho is derived from the ancient Egyptian name Hwt-k3-Pth. Αίγυπτος is believed to be the etymological origin of the modern English name Egypt. #### 2- The Hut Nome (Second Fortified Enclosure Wall) - Shows a fortified enclosure wall topped by a scorpion, as a symbol of royal power. - Further, it probably represents the Scorpion king himself. - Therefore, this palette is also called the palette of the Scorpion King. - The scorpion is equipped with a hoe participating in the foundation of this nome. - The name of the nome is inscribed using the hut sign. - The exact location of this nome is unknown so far. #### 3- The Nesu (nsw) Nome (Third Fortified Enclosure Wall) - Shows a fortified enclosure wall topped by two falcons on standards, as symbols of royal power indicating Horus of the South and Horus of the North respectively. - Both falcons are equipped with hoes participating in the foundation of this nome. - The name of the nome is inscribed inside the enclosure wall using the hieroglyphic sign swt. - The exact location of this nome is unknown so far. - However, some Egyptologists argue that this sign is used to write the word nsw, 'king'. - Therefore, it is plausible that this nome was the residence of the Scorpion king, where his palace is located. ## Narmer Palette ### Material - It is made of grey schist (slate or greywacke) quarried from Wadi Hammamat in Sinai and the Eastern Desert. - It is called in hieroglyphics bhn.