The Palermo Stone is a fragment of a wall, that was inscribed on both sides with an overview of largely ritual events that occurred during the first five dynasties. Several other fragments of that same wall ( or a transcript of it? ) have been found every bit good. The Palermo Stone is the largest piece of the wall is now on show at Palermo, hence its name.
A 2nd big piece and four smaller fragments are in the Cairo Museum ( Cairo Fragments 1 to 5 ) and one little fragment is in the University College of London ( London Fragment ) .
It is non certain that all seven known pieces derive from the same original, as all fragments were found on the antiquities market. Merely one little Cairo fragment seems to hold been traced to Memphis, but some other fragments are believed to hold originated in Middle Egypt. The differences in thickness of the fragments, may besides be an indicant that there were several masters, but thusfar, none of the fragments contains a partial or full transcript of one or more of the other fragments.
The original to which the Palermo Stone belonged, is believed to hold been about 2.2 metres long, 0.61 metres high and 6.5 centimeter midst. It is by and large accepted, but non proven, that the big Cairo Fragment, may hold belonged to the same original.
It is inscribed on both sides with a list of male monarchs from Predynastic Egypt to the center of the fifth Dynasty. From the 4th Dynasty on, the list besides contains the foundations and offerings made by the male monarchs. It is therefore extremely valuable in the survey of the early history of Ancient Egypt.
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The exact creative activity day of the month is non known, the earliest possible day of the month being the center of the fifth Dynasty. Some Egyptologists have seen differences in the manner of hieroglyphs in different twelvemonth cells, which has led them to believe that the rock or rocks may hold been carved at different times, possibly even updated on a regular footing. If this is right, so at least the ulterior parts of the rock ( s ) were carved shortly after the reported events.
On the other manus, the manner the rock has been carved -lightly incised marks on a black stone- is evocative of an artistic manner that came into trend during the 25th Dynasty, proposing that the Palermo Stone and related fragments may possibly non be dated earlier than this dynasty.
The fact that for the Early Dynastic male monarchs, their existent Horus-names were used, instead than their assumed Prenomens of Nomens, as is the instance on the Turin Kinglist, could back up the thesis that, irrespective of the creative activity day of the month of the Palermo Stone, the composers of this papers had entree to original beginnings. Possibly the Palermo Stone is merely a late transcript of an original that was created during the Old Kingdom.
Another inquiry that needs to be addressed is the intent of the Palermo Stone and related fragments. Make the composers intend to really roll up historical information, as seems to hold been the instance with the Turin Kinglist? Or was the rock originally located in a temple, functioning a spiritual or propagandistic intent? In the latter instance, the historic value attached to this papers may hold been overestimated.
