Pharaoh Menes (Narmer)
Egypt's 1st Dynasty
king Narmer (Menes) is the large slate palette. This
shows his capture of the "chief of the lake" (uo she),
and the falcon holding 6,000 prisoners. Behind him is
his "body-servant," the rosette here, and elsewhere, being used for the king. The resemblance of the king on this palette to the sculptor's trial piece, or model shows that almost certainly to be the royal portrait. It was never part of a statute, being flat on the back and top; it seems to be a life-study as a model for future figures. It is accepted as the oldest portrait figure, by Michaelis, who notes the "astonishing acuteness of the racial type."
Petrie, W.M.F., The Making of Egypt, London. New York, Sheldon Press; Macmillan, 1939, p. 78
Famously known as "The Father of Pre-history".
