for rituals celebrating Amunite festivals and holy days.
Pakhenti was a small village beside OPET, the suburb of
Thebes dedicated to Amun.
See also LUXOR.
Pakhet A lioness deity, listed also as Pakht, and called
“She Who Scratches,” she was the patroness of the living
and the dead in all eras. A shrine was erected by HAT-
SHEPSUT(r. 1473–1458 B.C.E.) near Minya in the FAIYUM
region, and SETI I(r. 1306–1290 B.C.E.) renovated this
shrine. The goddess also appears in a burial chamber of
Seti I, depicted with a lion head and an erect serpent,
“spitting fire.” Pakhet guarded the PERO,the royal resi-
dence, and cared for deceased Egyptians. Her shrine was
adopted by the Greeks in the Ptolemaic Period (304–
30 B.C.E.) and was renamed the SPEOS ARTEMIDOS, asso-
ciating Pakhet with the Greek deity Artemis. Originally
a desert huntress known for her ferocity against Egypt’s
enemies, Pakhet was depicted as a woman with a lion’s
head.
Palermo Stone A fragment of diorite anfibolica,con-
sidered a reliable source of information from the earliest
historical periods of Egypt, it is 17 inches high and nine
and three-quarters inches wide, originally part of a six
and one-half foot to seven-foot monument. The Palermo
Stone, so named because it is in the Palermo Museum in
Sicily, contains a KING LIST from the Fifth Dynasty
(2465–2323 B.C.E.). Smaller fragments are in the Egyp-
tian Museum of Cairo and in the Petrie Museum of the
University College of London. The Palermo Stone records
Predynastic (before 3000 B.C.E.) rulers and dynastic
pharaohs, through KAKAI(r. 2446–2426 B.C.E.) Some 125
rulers are listed. The stone is inscribed on both sides and
includes information about ceremonies, taxes, wars, and
the inundation of the Nile.
palette A rectangular piece of wood or stone, called
mesthaby the Egyptians and used in daily routines, they
were fashioned from eight to 16 inches long and two to
three inches thick, with oval hallows at one end to
accommodate ink, paint, or cosmetic pots. A groove cut
out of the center, sloping at one end, held reeds. Some
grooves had sliding corners, others used slats of wood
glued across the grooves. Such palettes were normally
inscribed with prayers to THOTH, the deity of wisdom.
Several palettes were viewed as historical documents.
Some of the more famous of these are
Ashmolean Palettedepicts animal groups, including
a lute-playing fox and other fantastic beasts. It is now in
the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.
Battlefield Paletteshowing Libyans in a war with
Egyptians, also depicts standards and groups of prisoners.
The Herakleopolitan deity HORUSis portrayed with the
lion and the vulture.
Bull Palettedepicts the bull (the symbol of royal
power) goring northern prisoners. Standards are also dis-
played. The verso shows a conquered city with crenel-
lated walls. It is now in the Louvre in Paris.
Hunter’s Palette depicts an expedition to hunt
animals. Armed men, a shrine, and a BULL are also
shown.
Libya Palette depicts the irrigation and hydraulic
systems of Egypt, vital to the agricultural base of the
nation. This is also called the Cities Palette and is in the
British Museum in London.
Narmer Palettean elaborate instrument now in the
Egyptian Museum of Cairo. NARMERis depicted on both
sides of the palette and is called nar,fish, and mer, a
chisel. On the recto side he is wearing the red crown of
the Delta, proclaiming victory in the north. A BULL,a
depiction of Narmer, is shown destroying a city. Stan-
dards and the HORUSsymbol add to the design. On the
verso side, Narmer is shown in a kilt, wearing a false
beard. He is carrying a MACEHEAD. A falcon accompanies
his destruction of a city.
Ostrich Palettedepicts Egyptians herding groups of
animals. This is now in the Manchester Museum in Eng-
land.
Scorpion Palettea large instrument used for grind-
ing antimony. Hollow on one side, the palette was deco-
rated with votive designs. SCORPION I, a ruler of a region
before the unification in 3000 B.C.E., is depicted in ani-
mal forms destroying cities. Scorpion is portrayed as a
falcon and a lion. Seven cities are shown being
destroyed, or one city is shown being attacked seven
times.Pami (Userma’atre’setepenre’amun)(d. 773 B.C.E.)
Ruler of the Twenty-second Dynasty
He reigned from 783 B.C.E. until his death. His brother
and successor was SHOSHENQ V. An obscure pharaoh,
Pami was called “the cat.” He ruled in TANIS.pan-graves They are elaborate burial sites found
throughout Upper Egypt, south of Cusae, and Upper
NUBIA(modern Sudan) dating to the Seventeenth Dynasty
of Thebes (1640–1550 B.C.E.). These graves are closely
related to the MEDJAYunits employed by KAMOSEwhen he
began his assaults on the HYKSOSand their Asiatic allies,
c. 1555 B.C.E. They also reflect a period of migration by
Nubians, during the Second Intermediate Period (1640–
1550 B.C.E.).
The graves are between ten inches and six feet
long and are usually shaped like a pan, shallow and
oval or circular in design. The bodies placed inside were
found clad in leather garments and bearing primitive
jewelry. Pottery included in the graves dates to the C-
Horizon (Nubian) variety—rough brown with patterns
of oblique lines or undecorated. Painted skulls of294 Pakhet