Aspelta, Beloved of Re'-Harakhty and Tombs in the Temple

SUDAN & NUBIA and the temple extends approximately 120m east-west (Figure QSAP Dangeil 2016: Aspelta, 1). Recent excavations have concentrated on the temple’s peristyle hall. The initial purpose was to expose the proces- Beloved of Re’-Harakhty and sional way and the court around the kiosk and determine if, Tombs in the Temple as with other Amun temples, this route had been flanked by a series of ram statue pairs. In the north-eastern area of the Julie R. Anderson, Rihab Khidir elRasheed court (designated ET8), two statue plinths constructed of red and Mahmoud Suliman Bashir brick and plastered on the exterior with white lime painted yellow, were exposed in autumn 2015. They lay beneath red- brick rubble from the colonnade, architectural fragments Excavations are being conducted within the temenos enclo- from the kiosk, and numerous small sandstone fragments sure of a 1st century AD Amun temple at Dangeil, River Nile from broken ram statues. State, as the Berber-Abidiya Archaeological Mission is focus- In autumn 2016, excavation of this area was expanded ing upon the sacred landscape of the late Kushite period in westward towards the kiosk in the centre of the court. This this region. Recently two field seasons were conducted, one exposed another regularly placed rectangular statue plinth, in autumn 2016 and the other in March 2017.1 The site of the processional way which was paved with red bricks and Dangeil measures approximately 300 x 400m, covers 12ha, sandstone flags, and a sandstone column capital. The plinth and consists of several mounds, some greater than 4m in and area to the west of it were covered with sandstone and height, each covered with fragments of red brick, sandstone, brick tumble from the kiosk and from the destruction of sherds, and white lime plaster. Dangeil is a modern moniker the ram statue formerly associated with the plinth. When the meaning ‘broken red brick’, and is not an ancient name. tumble was removed, a second column capital was uncovered along with painted fragments from the kiosk cornice. Both The Amun temple, eastern half capitals appear to have fallen from the north-eastern side of the peristyle court of the kiosk, and are stylized lotus blossom capitals with The monumental entrance into the Amun temple faces west bud-clusters (Plate 1). In addition to clarifying more of the towards the river. It measures approximately 40m north-south architectural structure of the kiosk, remnants of red, blue Figure 1. Plan of the Amun temple, Dangeil (plan: J. Dobrowolski). 1 Dangeil is located in the Berber-Abidiya region on the right bank of the Nile, south of the Fifth Nile Cataract, approximately 350km and yellow painted plaster were preserved on parts of the north of Khartoum. Fieldwork was conducted from 5th October – 2nd capitals, providing further insight into its polychromy and December 2016 and from 28th February – 1st April 2017. The mission decorative programme. Analysis on samples taken elsewhere was co-directed by Julie Anderson (British Museum, UK), Rihab Khidir in the temple indicate that these pigments are derived from elRasheed (National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums, Sudan) and Mahmoud Suliman Bashir (National Corporation for Antiqui- red and yellow ochres, with the blue being Egyptian blue. It ties and Museums, Sudan). The team consisted of Martin Grzymski is likely that the pigments on the capitals are similarly derived. (archaeologist), Francesca Guiducci (conservator), Roksana Hajduga (archaeologist, artist), Ikhlas Alyas Ali (archaeologist), Namarg Awad Aspelta, Beloved of Re’-Harakhty (archaeologist), Mohamed Saad Abdalab (bioarchaeologist), Osman The most surprising find in the eastern half of the peristyle elFadl (conservator), Anna Pieri (bioarchaeologist), Julian Reade (registrar), Katarzyna Solarska (archaeologist), Tracey Sweek (chief court was made, not around the statue plinths, but in a pit conservator) and Yassin Mohamed Saeed (surveyor). cut through the paving of the processional way. There were 159 in Sudan at Jebel Barkal (Dunham 1970, pl. XX3) and Dokki Gel-Kerma (Bonnet and Valbelle 2005, 133). Though found in a different archaeological context more than 70m away from the 2008 statue discoveries, the newly discovered kilt and thigh fragment joined the unidentified lower legs and base found in 2008, as did a number of other smaller pieces. The statue’s chest and shoulders remain missing. Like the other statues, this king’s name and titulary were inscribed in Egyptian hieroglyphs on the back pillar, confirm- ing the original tentative identification of the statue made in 2008 as being that of Aspelta (Plates 3 and 4). Plate 1. North east end of the peristyle court with two column capitals and a statue plinth visible, facing west. a number of pits and areas of missing pavement in the processional way. During cleaning of the pavement surface, an odd-shaped, hard stone was noticed protruding from the fill of one such pit. After further brushing, it became evident that it was the kilt and upper thighs of a small statue (19/16) made of coarse grey granite with pink and white mottling (Plate 2). Plate 3. Back pillar of Plate 4. Right side of the Aspelta statue. the Aspelta statue. The statue is approximately half life-size.4 Traces of yellow paint (Munsell 10YR 7/8 yellow) on white lime plaster, probably symbolizing gold, remained on the cap-crown, and his skin had been painted a reddish-brown (Munsell 10R 5/4 weak red). Red paint on top of lime plaster was discovered Plate 2. Orthophoto of statue fragment in situ on his neck and red paint (without plaster) was present on the on the processional way (orthophoto: R. Hajduga). legs, base and in the hieroglyphs. Much of the head’s surface In 2008, fragments of statues belonging to two early was rough or lightly stippled to enable the plaster to adhere. Kushite kings Taharqo and Senkamanisken, who ruled during Bracelets, anklets and the sandals also had been plastered the 7th century BC, were found in the disturbed destruction and gilded or painted, with now only the original roughed fill of the south rooms of the Amun temple (Anderson and surfaces created to aid the adhesion of plaster remaining. Salah Mohamed Ahmed 2009; 2010; 2014). The rulers’ names The left anklet was decorated on the front with a rosette and portions of their titularies were inscribed on the statues’ ornament and it is likely that the right was also festooned back pillars in Egyptian hieroglyphs. These statues were in this fashion although this was unclear. These decorative similar iconographically being depicted in an archetypical pharaonic striding pose with their arms at the sides and their 3 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MFA 23.730. hands holding mekes cases. Fragments of a third royal statue 4 As the various Aspelta statue fragments have not yet been permanently were also found, notably the head and lower legs, but the joined together, the overall statue dimensions can be approximated only. torso and thighs were missing, as was the name.2 This statue The measurements of the Aspelta fragment (19/16) are as follows: Height: 337mm; Thickness: 210mm; Width: 215mm; Width backpillar: was tentatively identified as Aspelta (593-568 BC) based on 108mm. The measurements of the statue’s head (112/08) are: Height: comparisons with other known statues of this king discovered 185mm; Thickness: 167mm; Width: 130mm. The measurements of the base and lower leg fragments (52/08 a/b) are: Total height: 202.5mm; 2 The head appears on the cover of Sudan & Nubia 13 (2009). Width of base: 225mm; Length of base: 395mm. 160 SUDAN & NUBIA features are difficult to see due to the nature of the stone gitimacy on a ruler. It is interesting that the Taharqo statue and the various positions of the breaks combined with the found at Dangeil in 2008, refers to Taharqo as ‘[Beloved] of shallowness of the stippling. Re’-Harakhty who resides in ‘ms[…’. On the back pillar, the preserved inscription begins with ‘Ms[…’ presumably is a place-name that is as yet unidenti- the end of Aspelta’s prenomen ‘Re’ whose Ka is loved’, fol- fied (Anderson and Salah Mohamed Ahmed 2009, 81-82). lowed by ‘Son of Re’ Aspelta, may he live forever’. Beneath Dangeil’s Aspelta is also beloved of Re’-Harakhty though this, the area is broken but the inscription can be reconstruct- there is no place name on the statue. Is it possible that ed (Plate 5).5 The first hieroglyphs that follow form the name together with Amun, one of the important gods to which Dangeil was home, was a version of Re’-Harakhty and that the ancient name for Dangeil began with ms? The Kushite kings were closely tied to Re’. Piankhy performs rituals in the temple of Re’ at of Heliopolis (Eide et al. 1994, 99-100) and in the 4th century BC, the ruler Nastasen ‘dances’ before Re’ (Eide et al. 1996, 479-482) perhaps alluding to a ceremony in the dais rooms found in several temples (i.e. Kawa, Naqa, Dangeil etc.),7 but it is premature to draw any conclusions at this point. The Amun temple, western half of the peristyle court Little was visible on the surface above the processional way in the peristyle court on the western side of the kiosk (designated ET5). The fill removed consisted largely of a featureless wind-laid accumulation of sandy brown earth. This fill overlay pairs of low rectangular plinths constructed of red bricks and lime plaster set back a metre from the processional way and, Plate 5. Reconstruction of the inscription as on the eastern side, three pairs of these statue pedestals on the Aspelta statue back pillar.

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