Similarities Between Narmer And Hatshepsut

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Rulers of ancient cities did not always have completely loyal subjects, and needed to find ways to consolidate and validate their authority. One of the ways to do that was through iconography and deliberate utilization of symbols that portray a specific message dependent on the ruler’s goal, whether that be to legitimize a female ruler as Hatshepsut did, to establish military prowess and authority through conquest as Narmer did, or to establish a connection with the gods and prosperity as Zimri-Lin did.
Queen Hatshepsut ruled from Thebes (Upper Egypt) during ca. 1479 - 1457 BC, starting out as regent to her youthful of her nephew Thutmose III, but later taking full control of the government and the royal regalia. It was uncommon in Ancient …show more content…

3050 BC. He ruled Upper Egypt and was able to conquer Lower Egypt during his reign. Differently from Hatshepsut, Narmer had to legitimize his rule because he was a foreign conqueror, and he probably wanted to make sure later generations of Lower Egyptians would not forget what happened to their forefathers and challenge Upper Egyptian rule. The ideas for Narmer’s iconography are represented in the Narmer Palette, a votive gift found at the Temple of Horus at Hierakonpolis. The front side of the Palette shows Narmer with his club about to smite down an enemy, wearing the characteristic white conical crown of Upper Egypt. Also shown in the picture are his sandal-bearer, which gives the notion that Narmer is a serious confrontation for which he had to take off his sandals, and Horus, the patron of the pharaoh, holding prisoner a papyrus man, representative of Lower Egypt. This side of the palette is a reminder that Narmer conquered Lower Egypt through gruesome war, and with the blessing of Horus subjugated Lower Egypt. The backside of the palette contains three discrete scenes. The top one shows Narmer, identifiable by his comparatively larger statute beside the servants depicted in the scene, wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt and inspecting the decapitated bodies of his enemies. The very bottom scene is the portrayal of a bull, a symbol for the pharaoh, trampling a naked …show more content…

1715 – 1700 BC, in the Early Dynastic period of Mesopotamia. During that period, governments were shifting from the ideology that the gods ruled and humans just held the resources in the trust of the gods, and towards the idea that the kings were the ultimate authorities that should be exalted as well. This trend is reflected in the culture of Mesopotamian peoples, with the rise of palace architecture and prevalence of ruler iconography in the walls of these palaces. The most important painting in Zimri-Lin’s palace is the wall painting called ‘Investiture of the king’. Zimri-Lin’s authority is established through this painting by the depiction of himself being handed the insignia of power by the goddess Ishtar, by the scenery of a plentiful garden with water, plants, and animals, and by depictions of two goddesses of fertility. Through these symbols, Zimri-Lin establishes that his authority comes from the gods, and he is blessed by the gods with agricultural plenty, and resources such as water. This is especially significant because of the importance of such resources in the arid region that is Mesopotamia, where securing sources of food and water are of the utmost importance. What is also important about this painting is the place where it is located: the west wall on the court that precedes the antechamber to the throne room. Any foreign dignitary or supplicant that was on his way towards an audience with the king would

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