Part 1 Ancient Egypt and Nubia

Egypt, Music, Dance and the Nubian Connection: Part 1 Ancient Egypt and Nubia By Katrina Robinson ‘On entering Paradise you may hear the show trade and cross-influence sound of nightingales and Nubian between these cultures from 5,000- singers’ Alf Leila w’Leila (Tales of 1001 4,500 B.C. (Taylor). Nubia was also the Nights) birthplace of one of the earliest and most advanced urban civilisations in Reading about dance in Egypt and the Africa (Quirke and Spencer, 1992). Mediterranean in late antiquity (see Their development can be traced from Ruth Webb’s article under Information: 3,100 B.C., around the same time as History of the Dance) inspired me to Egypt was unified as one land and the look for some other possible influences First Dynasty began on music and dance in ancient Egypt - (http://imet.csus.edu). the distant predecessors of the music and dance we know today. Nubia Ancient Nubia abutted Egypt’s southern gradually became really important - as borders and consisted of different a direct influence on ancient Egyptian chiefdoms, kingdoms or larger, more culture and as a corridor through which powerful unified states. The two lands other influences travelled back and vied for power and control over forth. territory and resources and the borders between them shifted north or south Nubia – Early Civilisations according to whether Egypt or Nubia Today Nubia is a cultural region dominated the region. extending from Upper Egypt into northern Sudan. In his book Egypt and Location and Influence Nubia, John Taylor defines it as ‘the The location of both lands gave them region between Aswan and Debba in immense strategic and economic which the Nubian languages are importance. Egypt’s location led to spoken’. In ancient times it was a much trade, political and cultural links with larger region, stretching up to 1,000 the peoples of the ancient Mediter- miles along the Nile valley, from the ranean, North Africa, Arabia and Asia First Cataract of the Nile (just south of for thousands of years. Nubia’s position Elephantine) to south of the Sixth made it the only gateway between Cataract and present-day Khartoum in central Africa, Egypt and the Sudan (www.sis.gov.eg/nubia). The Mediterranean. As a meeting-place of region’s rich natural resources and many different cultures, Nubia was moister climate made parts of it more dynamic and changing, mixing its own habitable than they are today and culture with chosen elements from all distinctive early settled cultures these places (Taylor, 1991). Egypt had flourished there. Fine ceramic bowls a lasting influence on Nubia because it and other objects dating from 8000 ruled and exploited its southern B.C. found in Neolithic Nubian sites are neighbour for long periods but it is now 3,000 years older than prehistoric finds accepted that ‘Nubian culture in Egypt. Other grave goods from Nubia influenced. Egypt at several important and Egypt, such as pottery and tools, periods’ leading up to Nubian rule of both lands between 747-647 B.C. and so on. In many situations cultural (Taylor). exchanges between them would have been limited but it is clear that Nubians Economic and Political Links worked in Egypt over millennia and had Much of this cross-influence came productive relations with Egyptians, about as a result of economic links from aristocrats and officials to ordinary between the two lands. Ancient Nubia’s people. wealth and power were built on its rich natural resources, trade and industry Soldiers, Traders, Labourers, Servants, and was vital to Egypt’s economy. It Policemen was Egypt’s major source of precious Nubian peoples played an important metals, stones and wood (gold, role in ancient Egypt’s economy from electrum, copper, building stone, the Old Kingdom onward. Here are a timber for shipbuilding, semi-precious few examples of their occupations, stones, ebony and ivory) and the which we can assume involved some transit route for African luxury goods contacts with Egyptians. such as incense, exotic animals and Nubian mercenaries served regularly in their skins, precious oils and resins, the Egyptian army. An early 6th dynasty fans and archery bows. To control campaign report c.2280 B.C. shows access and supply routes for these that men from five different Nubian prized commodities, Egypt’s rulers peoples were recruited into the huge often expanded into and dominated army assembled for Pepy 1 Nubia. At other times Nubia was the (www.sis.gov.eg/nubia). Another stronger power. The changing relations example from a later period of between the two lands shaped the instability in Egypt (c.2181-1991 B.C.) interactions between their peoples – sees different Nubian groups travelling interactions that often involved foreign north to sell their services as workers inside Egypt and sometimes mercenaries and then serving very involved music and dance. effectively in Egyptian campaigns Nubian Workers in Egypt (Taylor p.17). What evidence is there for interactions Nubian traders were always needed by between ancient Egyptians and Nubians Egypt and in times of strict border and did any involve music and dance? controls, between c.2181-2125 for The evidence comes from records of example, they were the only Nubians 20th century archaeological excavations allowed into the country (Taylor, p.18). (especially of the Aswan High Dam area Egyptian pharaohs frequently acquired of Lower Nubia in 1960-80 and Upper Nubian labourers and sometimes slaves Nubian sites in present-day Sudan), to work on monumental projects or as studies of tomb and temple decorations servants. Slavery was rare in Egypt at and Egyptian, Greek and Roman all periods and restricted mainly to records. I found good analyses of this foreigners captured in battle abroad evidence mainly in three books: Egypt (Quirke and Spencer, 1992, p.25). The and Nubia by John H. Taylor; The 7,000 Nubians captured by fourth British Museum Book of Ancient Egypt dynasty pharaoh Snefru (along with by Stephen Quirke and Jeffrey Spencer 200,000 cattle) while crushing a revolt and Music and Musicians in Ancient were deported to Egypt to work on Egypt by Lise Manniche. royal building sites soon after 2613 They show that Nubia was an B.C. We can assume they met other established source of labour for Egypt. labourers there, both Egyptian and Interactions between all foreign foreign. workers and Egyptians depended on Many Medjay Nubians, fierce warriors many things – peaceful or hostile belonging to a nomadic desert people, political relations, type and circum- served in the Egyptian police force: stances of work, social status, where they were so established in this role they lived, how long they were there that the word ‘medjay’ became the ancient Egyptian term for policeman a lasting influence on music and (www.sis.gov.eg/nubia). possibly dance in ancient Egypt. Nubians were renowned for their Relations with Nubians were also superb skill as bowmen – Egyptians productive at higher levels of Egyptian called Nubia ‘Ta Sety’, ‘Land of the society. Provincial governors and Bow’, at one time - and Nubian archers expedition leaders generally tried to were a key part of the military keep good relations with powerful capabilities of many Egyptian dynasties. Nubian chieftains from whom they Incidentally, excavations of graves and traded cattle. settlements of the 2181-1991 B.C. In these capacities Nubians became an period show that some of these soldiers established presence in ancient Egypt settled in Upper Egypt (Taylor, p.17) and offered opportunities for formal and where we can assume they interacted informal contacts with Egyptians over a with ordinary Egyptians in the course of long period. their daily lives. Links involving Music and Dance Drums, Trumpets and Dancers Although foreigners were essential to Music was important in the Egyptian their economy, Egyptians generally had army during training, formal parades little respect for their cultures. and military campaigns. Nubian soldiers However, Egyptians introduced useful, were regularly accompanied on novelty or interesting aspects of foreign campaigns by bands and dancers. The cultures into their own from time to barrel-shaped drums and trumpets that time. Here are two examples of featured in these bands are interesting foreigners brought into the country in several ways. First, barrel-drums specifically to take part in temple ritual. were most likely introduced from Nubia Sixth dynasty records tell us that the and the south into Egypt, where they boy-king Pepy II waited eagerly for a became ‘the archetypal military ‘dancing dwarf’ (possibly a pygmy) to instrument’ (Manniche, 1991, pp.74-5). arrive at court to take part in ‘dances Secondly, perhaps partly as a result of for the gods’ around 2200-2181 B.C. the Nubians’ skill with both types of Pepy’s governor Harkhuf, responsible musical instruments, the Egyptians for delivering the dwarf safely, wrote in were the first to realise that the rallying his autobiography ‘My master desires to rhythms of drums and the loud, clear, see this dwarf more than the products clarion sounds of trumpets made them of Sinai or Punt!’ (Taylor, p.16). the best instruments for military bands. Pygmies from central Africa became This tradition continues to the present important in religious rituals in Egypt day in Egypt and worldwide (Manniche, and were sought after for this purpose, p.83). passing through the Nubian ‘corridor’ to Nubian military drummers and Egypt along with many other people trumpeters are depicted in 17th and 18th and goods, from Punt and elsewhere dynasty texts and tomb paintings (www.sis.gov.eg/nubia). We do not (c.1650-1285 B.C.). By then they were know whether the pygmies danced a a familiar presence in Egypt and as strict repertoire of movements in the renowned for their prowess as the rituals they took part in or if there was Nubian archers.

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