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], < h ! ! T~ 1 _ 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).