ANCIENT NUBIA NOW Showing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston round 734 b.c., a Nubian ruler named Piye ANCIENT NUBIA: KEY ERAS The four major periods of ancient Nubia’s history: stood poised to invade Egypt. But for Piye, this was as much a holy pilgrimage as an act of war. 2400–1550 b.c. 1 KERMA PERIOD A Before his fleet sailed into Thebes—the hallowed 1550–1070 b.c. 2 EGYPTIAN OCCUPATION city of Amun—he addressed his troops and instructed them (Coincides with Egypt’s 18th–20th Dynasties) to not only fight honorably, but also behave piously. 750–332 b.c. 3 NAPATAN PERIOD (Includes the Nubian 25th Dynasty in Egypt) Before they got down to business, Piye’s fearsome Nubian 332 b.c.–a.d. 364 4 MEROITIC PERIOD warriors were told to lay down their weapons and perform (Coincides with Egypt’s Greco-Roman Period) ablutions in the Nile: M l -t M b t ! The traditional kingdom Luxor 1 n 5 \! >Q of Kush ruled over the region B! : M 5 between Aswan in the north h t ! ! Q and the junction of the Blue Edfu and White Niles, at Khartoum “As for your arrival to the interior of Thebes, in the south. before Karnak, - \ t P ~ Aswan nn 5 First Cataract may you enter the water, - ! B , - s t5 1 1uM t B t5 1 u9 b purify yourselves in the river, clothe yourselves on the quay, * h (M1` ! e B , +Z Abu Simbel lay down the bow (and) loosen the weapons. Egypt \ 1 \q +" 1 > L!L!` Second Sudan Do not boast to the Lord of Strength, Cataract B ` - [ 2 [ t L!L! t M`! 1 B1h EGYPTIAN for there exists no strength for the strong without him.” CONTROL (Victory Stela of King Piye, Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 48862.)
Third Piye may have even had Egyptian blood in his veins; an Cataract Egyptian-Nubian blended population had forged a new 1 KERMA society in the wake of Egyptian occupation in Nubia. So when, early in his reign, Piye commissioned a stela to declare Fourth himself absolute ruler over Nubia and Egypt, he may have Cataract Fifth earnestly felt that, being part Egyptian, he was fully entitled. Nuri Cataract A text on the same stela sees the god Amun granting Piye el-Kurru 3 NAPATA his divine mandate to rule: b ! i M ? P t . ? f ! b The shaded area represents “I said of you (while you were still) the extent of Egyptian control in your mother’s womb, over Nubia in the 18th e Dynasty. MEROE 4 1K ? M n t Q that you were to be ruler of Egypt.” Sixth Cataract (Sandstone Stela of King Piye, National Museum of Sudan, Khartoum SNM 1851.) Khartoum Piye’s campaign was an overwhelming success. Egypt’s JACQUES DESCLOITRES, NASA, MODIS LAND RAPID RESPONSE TEAM rebellious regional chiefs were brought under control, and
28 NILE #22 | NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2019 Piye returned home to his capital city, Napata, and re- corded his triumphs on a great “Victory Stela” that he erected there in the temple of Amun. While it was important to Piye to bring order to what he saw as a chaotic Egypt, there was never any question about where his heart truly lay: Nubia. Home was in the shadow of Gebel Barkal—Nubia’s Mount Olympus, and Amun’s most southerly sanctuary. The Victory Stela looms large in the history of Nubia; it is symbolic of the point where the kingships of both countries intersect, and records the story of the Nubians installing themselves as Egypt’s 25th Dynasty—a rule that encompassed a united Nubia and Egypt for the first time: Kbn j' h M ! # < 3 b ! “His majesty (Piye) proceeded to the House of [Ptah], < ! ! T~ h1 _ his purification was done in the robing room. < t t! + < t ! h \ 5 > }! !7 Every rite which is done for a pharaoh was done for him, \ nn hM 3 and he entered the temple.” (Victory Stela of King Piye. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 48862)
Just as importantly, the Victory Stela allows us to hear the ancient Nubians in their own words, for until the 8th century b.c., Nubia left no written records. Now, a new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is similarly giving a long overdue voice to the Nubians. Ancient Nubia Now presents 400 works of art, all from the MFA’s collection, made over thousands of years of Nubian history. The MFA’s ancient Nubian collection came to Boston primarily between 1913 and 1932, when the museum, in partnership with Harvard University, performed some of the first scientific excavations of Nubian sites. In exchange for financing and performing the excavations, the museum received a portion of the finds, a standard practice at the time. Because of this history, the MFA now boasts the world’s best collection of Nubian art outside of Sudan. George Reisner, a curator of Egyptian art at the MFA, oversaw the museum’s excavations in the Sudan for decades, and while his archaeological methods were far ahead of his time, Reisner was not as forward thinking when it came to some of his beliefs. (Continued on page 34.)
MINIATURE DAGGER (Classic Kerma Period, ca. 1700–1550 b.c.) Bronze, ivory, gold. Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition Acc. No. 21.11796b. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Kerma’s warriors were often buried with an elegant sword or dagger. This finely crafted miniature example, no larger than a modern-day letter opener, was found in the richly appointed tomb of a young boy. The exquisite workmanship and valuable materials—bronze, ivory and gold—signify that its owner must have been the son of a leading family.
NILEMAGAZINE.CO.UK 29 HARVARD UNIVERSITY– BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS EXPEDITION COURTESY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON. PHOTOGRAPHER: MOHAMMEDANI IBRAHIM IBRAHIM
(ABOVE) December 16, 1913. The statue of Lady Sennuwy (RIGHT) Sennuwy’s statue was designed to provide a emerging during excavations at Kerma by the Harvard “home” for her ka spirit, and also provided a locus for University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition. family and priests to make offerings. Alternatively, the Sennuwy was a long way from home, having come statue may also have been placed in a temple and from Asyut in Middle Egypt, 1,200 kilometres away. dedicated to gods or deified ancestors.
This has to be one of the most elegant statues to have b.c.) and the two statues may have been traded to the survived from ancient Egypt—that of the Lady Sennuwy Nubians by the Hyksos occupiers at this time. of Asyut in Middle Egypt. Alternatively, the MFA suggests that “an army from Sennuwy was the wife of a powerful provincial Kerma attacked Egypt, looted sanctuaries, and brought governor, Djefaihapi, during the reign of the Middle Egyptian objects—such as the magnificent sculpture of Kingdom pharaoh, Senusret I (ca. 1950 b.c.). Governor Lady Sennuwy—home as souvenirs and status symbols”. Djefaihapi must have served his king well, for Senusret Regardless of how they arrived, the reigning Kermian granted the couple a large tomb—in fact, the largest non- leader was impressed enough to want them to spend royal tomb built in the Middle Kingdom. The quality of forever with him in his tomb. “Forever” lasted until 1913, their statuary suggests they enjoyed privileged access to when the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Senusret’s royal sculptors as well. Arts expedition opened the largest (and last) royal burial Sennuwy is described at the MFA “as a slender, grace- mound at Kerma (Tumulus K III), some 90 metres across. ful young woman, dressed in the tightly fitting sheath Inside, a surprise was waiting: two larger-than-life, grano- dress that was fashionable at the time. The carefully diorite –—Egyptian statues. modeled planes of the face, framed by a long, thick, When discovered, the sculptures were riddled with striated wig, convey a serene confidence and timeless cracks (above). At first this was thought to have come beauty. . . . Sennuwy sits poised and attentive. . . with her from exposure to fire. Instead, it turns out that the fissures left hand resting flat on her lap and her right hand holding were caused by iron-rich minerals within the stone that a lotus blossom, a symbol of rebirth.” had rusted and expanded during the centuries in the So captivating were the portraits, that around 300 ground, cracking the stone. years after being sculpted, they were pulled from their So fragile was Sennuwy’s statue when found that it tomb chapel and floated upriver to Kerma. fractured into four large pieces during transport in the Djefaihapi and Sennuwy’s tomb at Asyut was on the field. Thankfully, her sculpture was able to be repaired, border between Egyptian and Hyksos controlled terri- and has since undergone conservation treatment to ensure tory during the Second Intermediate Period (1650–1550 that visitors can admire Lady Sennuwy for years to come.
30 NILE #22 | NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2019 STATUE OF LADY SENNUWY, 1971–1926 b.c. MIDDLE KINGDOM, DYNASTY 12, REIGN OF SENUSRET I GRANODIORITE HARVARD UNIVERSITY–BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS EXPEDITION PHOTOGRAPH © MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
NILEMAGAZINE.CO.UK 31 (OPPOSITE, TOP) NURI CAMP SHOWING SHABTIS LAID OUT, MARCH 19, 1917 . Photo: George Andrew Reisner Harvard University–Boston MFA Expedition Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
With the pyramids of Nuri in the background, two of George Reisner’s Sudanese workers sort the extraordinary quantities of shabtis recovered from Taharqa’s pyramid tomb (Nu 1).
“Of the many interesting objects which have come to us from Nuri, perhaps the series of shawabti figures are the most revealing. They were found in almost every tomb, were almost all inscribed, and it is from them primarily that we have learned the names of these people. In some tombs they were found in great profusion: those of King Taharqa alone numbered over a thousand, all of hard stone, and ranging in size from eight to thirty-two inches.” Dows Dunham, 1958.
Shabtis originated in Egypt as figures that would stand in for the deceased in the afterlife, when they were called on to do chores on behalf of the god Osiris. The ancient Nubians included shabtis in their tombs only in the Napatan Period.
(OPPOSITE, BOTTOM) SHABTIS OF KING TAHARQA Napatan Period, reign of Taharqa (ca. 690-664 b.c.) Harvard University–Boston MFA Expedition Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Shabtis were buried with both Napatan kings and queens, but are not known from any non-royal burials. These examples are from the tomb of King Taharqa, under whom Nubia’s empire reached its greatest extent. Although the hieroglyphic text on the front of the figurines is the standard Egyptian text, calling on the shabti to help in the afterlife, they don’t seem to have been used as servant figures any more. Shabtis were arranged around the burial chamber in an upright position, and seem to have taken on a protective, sentinel-type role in the tomb.
(LEFT) PENDANT WITH RAM-HEADED SPHINX Napatan Period, reign of Piye (ca. 743–712 B.C.) Gilded silver, lapis lazuli, and glass El-Kurru, Ku 55 (tomb of an unnamed queen of King Piye) Harvard University–Boston MFA Expedition Acc. No. 24.972 Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Nubian craftsmen were highly skilled. This pendant of a ram-headed sphinx sitting on a column with red, green and blue glass inlays, is just 10 cm tall. The sphinx probably represented Amun-Re, who by the Napatan Period was the supreme god of the Nubians. While the column is very Egyptian in its style and decoration, the sphinx is not. In Egypt you would generally not see a sphinx in this pose: sitting up and looking sideways. It is thought that Amun adopted his ram form when Egypt occupied Nubia in the New Kingdom and connected the local ram-headed chief deity of the Nubians with Amun.
32 NILE #22 | NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2019 NILEMAGAZINE.CO.UK 33 COLLAR “From the burial of a queen. . . came a beautiful Napatan Period, reign of Shebitka, son of King Piye solid gold collar forming a complete circle, (ca. 712–698 b.c.) which could be opened by two hinges through Electrum which gold pins were thrust. The ornament is El-Kurru, Ku 72 (tomb of an unnamed queen of Shebitka) simple but effective and is decorated in front Acc. No. 21.307 with a kneeling winged human figure in relief, Harvard University–Boston MFA Expedition balanced behind by a scarab.” Dows Dunham, 1958. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
(From page 29.) At Kerma, George Reisner’s prejudices Egyptian temples are often dominated by scenes of led him to misinterpret his finds. Despite the overwhelm- all-conquering pharaohs crushing the skulls of cowering ing evidence demonstrating Kerma’s long, indigenous foreigners, usually including Nubians. This was driven by history, he saw it as merely an Egyptian outpost in Nubia, the traditional Egyptian ideology: every good pharaoh was ruled by an Egyptian governor. Fine quality objects were duty-bound to tame the symbolic forces of isfet [chaos] attributed to Egyptian influence, while mundane ones were in order to establish maat [divine order and control]. It led identified as Nubian. Reisner’s conclusions sometimes make to the inhabitants of foreign lands being portrayed as vividly for uncomfortable reading today: un-Egyptian, and therefore, barbaric. (Yet at the same time, “The (Nubian) native negroid race had never Egyptians and Nubians married, and Nubians rose to the developed either its trade or any industry highest ranks of the Egyptian government.) worthy of mention and owed their cultural Dr. Stuart Tyson Smith, anthropology professor at the position to the Egyptian immigrants and to University of California, Santa Barbara, has been excavat- the imported Egyptian civilization,” he wrote ing in Nubia for almost 20 years. He told NILE Magazine in a 1918 bulletin for the MFA, where he was a that these negative ethnic stereotypes were a form of curator of Egyptian art.” (George Reisner, “cultural chauvinism”—government-sanctioned prejudice. Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, October 1918.) The Nubians left behind extensive remains of cities, temples, palaces and exquisite jewellery. Yet, until recently, Racial prejudice and “bad press” towards the Nubians Nubia’s story has been largely told by others. Now, the was at play even in pharaonic times, with Egyptian propa- Museum of Fine Arts is aiming to set the record straight. ganda often casting Nubians as the wretched “other”. Ancient Nubia Now explores Nubia’s four main stages:
34 NILE #22 | NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2019 1. KERMA (ca. 2400–1550 b.c.) Already an established and fortified city by 2400 b.c., Kerma grew to become the capital of a vast Nubian kingdom by about 1700 b.c. Its trade network reached into Central Africa and the Red Sea coast. Famed for its archers, Kerma even- tually threatened Egypt in the mid-16th century b.c. Having joined forces with the northern Hyksos occupiers, Kerma attacked from the south. When the kings of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty came to power, they retaliated, seizing Kerma’s territory and burning the city. 2. EGYPTIAN OCCUPATION (ca. 1550–1070 b.c.) Ancient Nubia and Egypt share an inter- twined history. Egypt coveted access to Nubian gold mines and to the luxury goods—ivory, ebony, incense—available through trade. For long periods, part or all of Nubia fell under Egyptian control. The first period of occupation, during Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, was confined to northern Nubia. A string of massive for- tresses along the Nile guarded the frontier and maintained control of mining and trade. The weakening of the Egyptian state at the end of the Middle Kingdom and the rise of the kingdom of Kerma to the south put an end to this period. The second period of Egyptian rule, corresponding to Egypt’s New Kingdom, was longer and covered a more extensive territory—stretching almost all the way to present-day Khartoum. The reoccupied Middle Kingdom forts now served more as administrative and religious centers, and great temples arose along the Nile.
MIRROR OF KING SHABAKA Napatan Period, reign of Shabaka (ca. 698–690 b.c.) Bronze and gilded silver El-Kurru, Pyramid 15 (tomb of Shabaka) Acc. No. 21.318 Harvard University–Boston MFA Expedition Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The mirror consists of a bronze disk set into a gilt silver handle in the form of a column with a palm leaf capital. Standing figures of the great goddesses surround the column: Hathor, wearing a sun disk and horns; lioness-headed Tefnut; and Mut on the opposite side. A fourth figure (on the left) probably represents the king’s sister Amenirdis I. At the time of the Nubian conquest, Amenirdis I was nominated as successor to the supreme religious position at Thebes: the God’s Wife of Amun, thus legitimising the Nubian claim to the kingship of Egypt.
NILEMAGAZINE.CO.UK 35 The god Amun was introduced at this time, and it was as true followers of Amun that the Nubians would turn the tables on the Egyptians. 3. NAPATAN PERIOD (ca. 750–332 b.c.) This is where this article began, and where most people begin their exploration of ancient Nubia. The kingdom’s heartland was at Napata, a strategic location for controlling trade. The royal pyramids were built at nearby el-Kurru and Nuri, close to Nubia’s holiest site: Gebel Barkal, home of their supreme god, Amun. In a twist of history, after being occupied by Egypt for 500 years, the Nubians now viewed themselves as the true upholders of maat. After almost a century of successful rule, the Nubian pharaohs were driven out of Egypt by the Assyrians. 4. MEROITIC PERIOD (ca. 332 b.c.– a.d. 364) By the 4th century b.c., the Nubian capital had moved south to the city of Meroe—a cosmopolitan metropolis and the center of a vast international trading network. Although Meroe was one of the great cities of antiquity, it remains among the least understood. In part, that mystery stems from the fact that we can’t read Meroitic script, which has yet to be fully deciphered (see below).
Egyptian rule made a profound impression on Nubia, yet the Nubians always maintained their cultural distinctive- ness, and built one of the most enduring kingdoms in African history. Ancient Nubia Now is showing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, until January 20, 2020. See mfa.org for more details.
VICTORY STELA OF KING TANYIDAMANI Meroitic Period, reign of Tanyidamani (180-140 b.c.) Granite gneiss Gebel Barkal, Great Temple of Amun Acc. No. 23.736 Harvard University–Boston MFA Expedition Photograph © MFA, Boston
It wasn’t until the Nubians moved their capital to Meroe, that the local script replaced Egyptian hieroglyphic for monumental and religious texts. At 158 cm (more than five feet) tall and completely covered with texts, this is the longest-known inscription in Meroitic, a language still not fully translated. Thanks to recent work by scholars, we now believe this stela records the military victories and subsequent gifts to the temple at Gebel Barkal by King Tanyidamani, a contemporary of the Ptolemies who ruled Egypt from Alexandria. On both sides, the king stands on vanquished enemies and worships the ram- headed god Amun and his wife. Originally, this stela stood at the approach to the temple of Amun at Gebel Barkal, which clearly still held great religious significance, despite being 240 km away.
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