The Union of Two Lands Palette of Narmer

Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt had two parts: Upper Egypt Lower Egypt

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt is located in the south part of Egypt Upper Egypt stretched for over 500 miles from the first cataract north to the beginning of the Nile Delta

Lower Egypt Lower Egypt is located in the north of Egypt Lower Egypt was only 100 miles long but it was much wider the Upper Egypt Remember, the Nile River flows from the center of Africa north to the Mediterranean Sea.

Red and White Crowns In 3300 B.C. Upper and Lower Egypt has their own kings.

Upper Egypt The king of Upper Egypt wore a tall, white pear-shaped crown. Art historians call this the bowling pin crown The White Crown symbolized the pharaoh's control over Upper Egypt, and was worn on occasions involving Upper Egypt only.

Lower Egypt The king of Lower Egypt wore a short, boxy, red crown with a tall spike at the back and a curlicue at the front The Red Crown symbolized the pharaoh's control over Lower Egypt, and was worn on occasions involving Lower Egypt only.

Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt What we know about prehistoric Egypt is a mixture of history and legend. One famous legend tell about Menes, a king of Upper Egypt defeating the king of Lower Egypt around 3100 B.C. This unified the two lands, Upper and Lower Egypt became one unified empire. King Menes named himself the King of both Upper and Lower Egypt.

A New Crown The legend tells how Menes designed a new crown to celebrate this victory. The double crown stood for the union of the two lands.

The First Dynasty Menes and his family formed the first Egyptian dynasty. dynasty- is a series of rulers from the same family After Menes died, his son became king and later his grandson. During its history, over 30 different dynasties ruled ancient Egypt.

Memphis Menes chose the city of Memphis as his capital city.

Menes= Narmer Historians believe the legend of Menes may have been a real king. This real king was named Narmer. Historians believe it was not Narmer who first wore the red and white crown, but a later king did.

Palette of Narmer The Palette has a shield- shape and is decorated on both sides It shows Narmer defeating his enemies. The palette symbolizes the event of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. The palette was used to grind eye make-up, which both men and women wore

Palette of Narmer The composition of the Narmer Palette, the manner that different figures and objects are arranged in the picture, uses baselines and registers. Baselines are horizontal lines at set sections across the entire area that is decorated. The baselines create a frame for the action in each register. Baselines and registers give each figure a place to stand. The sequence of actions in a clear and in logical order. The palette is a flat piece of shale or mudstone with a circular depression, which was used to grind eye make- up, which both men and women wore.

Palette of Narmer The palette shows King Narmer conquering the ruler of Lower Egypt. This piece of art gives us information about a historic event. The palette commerates a very important event.

Create your own palette You will design your own palette You will create a palette showing an important that has occurred in modern history or in your own life. You may use drawings or photographs to show your event Use the three registers of the palette to express different elements of your event.