Ancient Man and His First Civilizations

Stele or plural: stelae, is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerary or commemorative purposes. It is often inscribed, carved in relief or painted onto the slab. Stelae were also used as territorial markers and to commemorate military victories. They were widely used in all the ancient civilizations.
In Egypt, commemorative palettes were typically used for grinding cosmetics - note the circular sunken center, but the ones displayed here are too large and heavy to have been for personal use, they were likely votive temple objects, perhaps to grind cosmetics to adorn the gods. The subject matter carved or inscribed on palettes was the same as on stele.

Click on the picture to see an enlarged picture and an interpretation of the objects meaning.

The Narmer Palette Closeup of 2nd register The Narmer Palette (back) Scorpion Macehead
Queen Nefretiti stele The Horus Cippus King Khasekhemwy Statue The Black Cippus
The Bull Palette The Bull Palette (back) Dogs Palette front Dogs Palette back
Gebel Knife Flint Knife Battlefield Palette Battlefield Palette (back)
Rosetta Stone Palermo stone The Hunters Palette The Hyenas Palette
Archery Case The Towns Palette The Towns Palette (back) MacGregor Man