Palermo Stone

From ArchaeoWiki

The Palermo Stone is the conventional name for a large fragment of the Royal Annals relating to the period between the First and Fifth Dynasties of ancient Egypt, inscribed in hieroglyphics on both sides of a slab of black basalt, and currently kept in the collection of the Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo, Italy (from which location it receives its name). By convention and by extension, the term also refers to a number of fragments from the original monument that are now preserved in Cairo and in London. The dimensions of the original monument have been approximated as 2.1 m x 0.6 m.

The Palermo Stone was seemingly inscribed towards the end of the Fifth Dynasty. The annals preserved within its inscription seek to list the rulers of Lower Egypt, starting with mythological rulers, before listing the reigns of the First Dynasty. Thereafter, the historical rulers of Egypt were listed up to the Fifth Dynasty reign of Neferirkare Kakai. The stela is formatted as a table of Egyptian rulers, noting their regnal years and various significant events up to the point of inscription. The Palermo Stone additional tabulates such information as annual Nile flood heights and information on festivals, taxation, building and warfare.

Bibliography

• Wilkinson, Toby A. H. [2000], Royal Annals of Ancient Egypt: the Palermo Stone and its Associated Fragments, [Studies in Egyptology], London: Kegan Paul International, 2000. ISBN 0710306679