Hunters palette
- Audio guide stop: 353
- Gallery: Room 64
- Culture: Naqada III
- Made in: Egypt (Cast section only)
- Object type: cosmetic-palette, cast
- Materials: mudstone
- Museum number: EA20790
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is "The Hunters' Palette," a fragmented artifact from Naqada III culture. Carved from grey mudstone, this cosmetic palette is more than a tool for grinding eye paint—it’s a detailed narrative scene of ancient life. Warriors chase lions, gazelles, and hartebeests, weapons in hand, their dress marked by short kilts and feathered headdresses. Some warriors carry rounded objects that scholars have interpreted as shields or bags.
A dramatic moment shows a man wrestling a rope caught in a hartebeest’s horns, while a wounded lion appears to chase its hunter. At the edge of the palette, you’ll notice imagery of a shrine and a mythical beast combining two buffalo—one of many mysterious details studied by archaeologists. The palette’s central area, slightly raised, was likely used for grinding pigments. This piece offers a remarkable glimpse into the artistry and storytelling of early Egypt.
See it in person
Hunters palette is on display in Room 64 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 353, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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