Definition: The Narmer Palette is a shield-shaped slab of gray stone, about 64 cm long, in relief, that is thought to represent the unification of Egypt.
British archeologist James E. Quibell found the Narmer Palette in his 1897–1898 excavations at Hierakonpolis in the foundations of a temple. Pharaoh Narmer (aka Menes) is shown on two sides of the palette wearing different crowns, the white crown of Upper Egypt on the obverse and the red crown of Lower Egypt on the reverse. It may represent an historical event - the unification of Egypt by the pharaoh, but its historical accuracy is debatable. The Narmer Palette is thought to date from about 3150 B.C.
Source: Steve Vinson "Narmer" The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Ed. Donald B. Redford, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2001.
For information on the iconography of the Narmer Palette, see "What a King Is This: Narmer and the Concept of the Ruler," by Toby A. H. Wilkinson. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 86, (2000), pp. 23-32.
