The East Pediment of the Parthenon V.S. The Palette of Narmer

Every culture, every time period has their differences, which make them unique. Throughout history there is one thing all-human beings share in common when it comes to art, important people are given the most profound and detailed pieces. As the longest running civilization on Earth, the Egyptians have molded amazing examples of art for later cultures such as the Greeks. Although both cultures are very different in many aspects, some of the greatest pieces from both have been those centered on important people in their cultures. Two examples of these kinds of pieces are The Palette of Narmer (c.2950 BCE) and the East Pediment of the Parthenon (c. 447-432 BCE).  The Palette of Narmer is from the Early Dynastic Period. It is made of green schist and is about twenty-five inches tall. The palette is meant to honor the legendary king of Egypt Narmer. Narmer is accredited with the unification of upper and Lower Egypt, which is illustrated in this work of art. Unlike most pieces of art from Ancient Egypt this piece was not funerary but rather celebratory. On one side of the Palette Narmer is depicted attacking another person. In Ancient Egyptian art the way the importance of a person is depicted is by the size of the person in the artwork compared to the other people. In this case, Narmer is considerably larger than his army, signifying he is who is important in this piece. The palette portrays, Narmer’s enemy as being the same size as Narmer, showing he is also important. In this piece, Narmer is attacking a person who by a hieroglyphic label is identified to most likely be the ruler of Lower Egypt. Behind Narmer is another person, who by the hieroglyphic inscription is thought to be the sandal-bearer. Narmer is barefoot because he is believed to be preforming sacred acts on sacred grounds. At the top of this side of the palette there are hieroglyphics that name the king, a fish, and a chisel. The artist depicts the palace of Narmer with a façade around it to emphasize the fact that he is king.  On the reverse side of the palette, Narmer is shown wearing the red crown on Lower Egypt. On the side there are two rows of decapitated soldiers, who are identified as the defeated enemy. Their decapitated heads are tucked between the legs of their dead bodies. In the middle of the palette there is a circular indentation, this was usually used for makeup palettes. The circular indentation in this case is not meant for make up but rather another unique feature of this celebratory piece of art. Two lions necks complete the circle. It is predicted that the two lions neck adjoining to make one circle can signify the theme of the piece, which is the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Bodies in this piece are all in profile to stress the most recognizable features such as the eyes, shoulders, torso, butt, hips, and legs. The East Pediment of the Parthenon (c.447-432 BCE) is one of the surviving pieces from the explosion. The statues used to be about ninety feet long, but without its central piece, which was lost in the fifth century, today it is about forty feet long. This piece illustrates the birth of the virgin warrior goddess Athena. Zeus is seated on a throne in the center. Athena is standing next to him because according to Greek mythology, Athena is the daughter of Zeus; he thought he wanted a daughter, and Athena shortly after popped out of his head. On the left of Zeus is a nude Herakles; he has lion skin and the goddess Dionysos is next to him laying on panther skin. Beside Herakles are the Earth and grain goddesses Demeter and Persephone. On the left is also the messenger of the gods, Iris, who seems to be spreading the news of Athena’s amazing birth. On the right are three women: Hestia (goddess of hearth), Dione (a consort of Zeus), and Aphrodite (goddess of love). At the far left is a horse’s head, which represents the chariot of Helios (the sun god also known as Apollo).  Both pieces are meant to tell great stories of the time. Narmer was a great Pharaoh of Egypt. Pharaohs were looked at as divine and sent from god. The palette tells the story of how great of a pharaoh he was. Since Narmer is the most important person depicted in the palette, most of the detail is placed on him. The carving in the stone was much more intricate when it came to carving his figure. Details such as his different caps to signify lower and Upper Egypt are examples of that. The East Pediment of the Parthenon is also a carving with very intricate handiwork. This piece is to tell the story of the birth of one of the gods of the Greek culture. Like the palette, the details in this piece signify the importance. This piece shows many of the gods of the time, all the gods are important. Therefore each god has details of their own, such as the folds in Aphrodite’s drapery. It is so detailed it shows it slipping off her shoulder, and it shows how sheer it is.  One of the most important things both pieces do is they both stress what was most important. For the Greeks, mythology was an answer to life’s mysteries. The gods were involved in every aspect of life. The Palette of Narmer was one of the first written documents. Since Pharaohs were looked at as divine and sent from the gods they were gods in their own right. Like the Greeks the Egyptians depicted the great battles of the gods.  Today both pieces are a first hand source of information on everyday life of the ancient cultures. They serve as a history book, but they also show how particularized the artists of the day were.