The first known example of relief sculpture in the Egyptian style (circa 3000 B.C.E.) was the Narmer Palette, commemorating this king's victory over ten enemies of Egypt. Though scholars disagree on the precise details, the narrative would have been clear to viewers contemporary with Narmer. The palette, which in Egypt was used to grind mineral pigments, also represented a turning point in artists experiments with carving in relief on stone. It is the earliest known example of mature Egyptian style that is preserved. It exhibits all of the major characteristics of the Egyptian relief style that artists used for the remainder of Egyptian history, for more than three thousand years.

The composition of the Narmer Palette, the manner that different figures and objects are arranged in the picture, utilized baselines and registers. Baselines are horizontal lines at set intervals across the entire area...