Egyptian sculpture

PROTO-DYNASTIC PERIOD 35

wavy lines; the man’s thickly curled hair is worked out in a series of rings, the whiskers in waved lines; the beard, which is not straight, is divided into three twists or plaits, represented by curved and intersecting cuts. The scene of the victorious bull occurs on both sides of the palette; on the obverse, below the bull, are five standards, whose poles, extended horizontally, end in hands. These clutch a thick rope, the significance of which is lost owing to the fracture. Below this again is the head of a human being of the type of the bull’s enemy; it is probably part of a battlefield scene. On the reverse, below the bull are two enclosures, representing walled towns, the square projections of the walls indicate the recessed method of building which was already used for large buildings in the IInd dynasty; each enclosure contains the hieroglyphs of the town’s name. Taking the Bull palette as the earliest, the next in succession would be the palette of the Battlefield. The points of resemblance between the Bull and the Battlefield palettes are: (I) the forms are rounded and modelled; (2) the men’s hair is worked in rings; (3) the beard, which is not absolutely straight, is represented as plaited; (4) the lines round the lion’s muzzle are like those round the muzzle of the bull; (5) the eyes, again as in the Bull palette, show an attempt at true representation, by the corners being lowered towards the nose; (6) the hands, both in this and in the Bull palette, are represented in some cases with palms outwards, and the same type of hand is represented—a short, rather fat hand, with an outward curve of the palm. The feet and legs are more carefully worked in these than in the later palettes. The lion’s mane, claws, and tail should be carefully noted. The birds are extremely realistic, especially as regards the action of the beak, and an attempt is made to represent the feathering. The two men, who are being led captive, are of