oi.uchicago.edu WINTER 2006 THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTEPAGE 1 Bull Neg 25.5% NEWS & NO TES NO. 188 WINTER 2006 ©THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO DISCOVER ANCIENT NUBIA Nubian pyramids of the Meroitic period (ca. 100 BC–AD 150) at Gebel Barkal. Photograph taken by the University of Chicago Expedition to Egypt and Sudan, 1906 It is with great pleasure that we Gallery. These galleries are milestones in The installation of the Picken Family announce the opening on February 25, many ways — the first permanent Nubian Nubian Gallery is above all an occasion 2006, of the Robert F. Picken Family gallery in the Oriental Institute, the first to display one of the few collections of Nubian Gallery and the Marshall and gallery dedicated to rotating special Nubian antiquities in the United States Doris Holleb Family Special Exhibits exhibits, and the final galleries to reopen and to educate our public about the after the complete reinstallation of the history of this relatively little-known museum that began on April 1, 1996. civilization. They also present unique opportunities. The Holleb Family Special Geoff Emberling, Museum Director Exhibits Gallery gives the museum a chance to broaden the range of exhibits in the museum — whether of new IN THIS ISSUE discoveries and current research, thematic Ancient Nubia 2 dis-plays drawn from across the From the Director’s Study 3 museum’s collections, objects borrowed Lost Nubia Photography Exhibit 6 from other countries and insti-tutions, or Calendar of Events (Detachable) 11 topics of broad interest not covered in the Registration Form (Detachable) 13 museum’s focus on the ancient history of Sunday Films 13 the Middle East. We are already planning Gallery Opening Events 14 a number of special exhibits for this Members’ Events 15 gallery including evocative photographs Winter Adult Education Courses 16 taken by Harry Burton during the Women's History Month 18 discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, Oriental Institute News 19 beautiful traditional clothing of Palestine, Travel Program 19 and early European maps of the Ottoman Abydos Archaeological Report 20 Empire. Suq Corner Back Cover Meroitic jar depicting cobras. OIM 25390 The Last Egyptian Queen’s Pyramid: New Discoveries at Abydos, Egypt • Page 20 oi.uchicago.edu PAGE 2 NEWS & NOTES Ancient Nubia GEOFF EMBERLING, MUSEUM DIRECTOR Oriental Institute boat "Fostat" on the Nile. Aswan Dam salvage project, February 1963 As the Nile River descends from the John Larson, Museum Archivist and Early Nubia highlands of Ethiopia, it emerges into curator of the exhibit. From 1960 to The earliest period on display, the A- narrow fertile plains and rocky outcrops 1964, the Institute conducted excavations Group, is among the strongest areas of that were known in antiquity as Nubia, at sites in the Aswan Dam salvage the Oriental Institute’s collection and has an area rich in gold deposits. Located in project. The excavations have been also generated considerable controversy modern southern Egypt and northern extensively published in the series in recent years. This portion of the Sudan, by 3100 BC Nubia was home to Oriental Institute Nubian Expedition gallery contains objects from two tombs the earliest complex societies in Africa (OINE), of which eight volumes have excavated at Qustul, one of a ruler and outside Egypt. been written by Bruce Williams, guest one of a high official. The ruler’s tomb is Nubia was also a region of great curator of our exhibit. Over 15,000 notable for the famous Qustul Incense cultural diversity. The variety of likely artifacts found by Institute projects in the Burner, a cylinder with a depression at native terms for the region includes Aswan Dam salvage project, as well as Wawat, Irtjet, Setju, Yam, and Kush, and objects relating to Nubia but excavated at archaeological finds are divided into Egyptian sites including Medinet Habu stylistic groups including A-Group, C- (Thebes) and Abydos, are the basis for Group, Pan-Grave, Pre-Kerma, Kerma, this exhibit. and the later X-Group. Unraveling the The Picken Family Nubian Gallery relationships among all these groups is traces the history of Nubia from the first complicated by the absence of indigenous chiefdoms or states of the fourth traditions of writing — the earliest millennium BC through the fall of Nubian texts are written in the Meroitic Christian kingdoms in the sixteenth language in the second century BC, and century AD. The Qustul Incense Burner. OIM 24069 even this language remains unknown. Yet cultural traditions — in burial, in forms the top that would likely have held of material culture — unite these cultures burning incense. Around the sides of the into a common civilization. cylinder are carved scenes interpreted as Nubia has been a focus of research royal ritual: three boats carry a ruler and for the University of Chicago since bound prisoners toward a palace façade. before the founding of the Oriental Although incense burners of this form Institute. James Henry Breasted’s trips to are distinctively Nubian, the designs are Egypt and Sudan in 1905–1907 to similar to objects associated with early document the historical records of Nubia Egyptian rulers. The controversy has are featured in the inaugural special revolved around the significance of this exhibit in the Holleb Family Gallery object (and others that pose similar (February to May 2006) and described in interpretive issues): were the Nubians the accompanying article, written by A-Group beads equal participants in the developing oi.uchicago.edu WINTER 2006 PAGE 3 Did you know that... More pyramids were built in Nubia than in Egypt Nubians were renowned archers Line drawing of the Qustul Incense Burner. OIM 24069 Kings of Nubia ruled Egypt for symbolic language and practices of Much of the power and wealth of the about a century kingship in the Nile Valley, or did they A-Group came from trade. With access simply adopt symbols from Egypt? to gold from the eastern desert, carnelian Questions raised by this important object from the western desert, and exotic Nubian queens were powerful in have yet to be resolved. The A-Group is products like incense, ivory, and ebony their own right also represented in the gallery by its from farther south along the Nile, the A- distinctive and beautiful handmade Group traded for Egyptian products Modern people speaking Nubian ceramics and jewelry of carnelian and contained in large storage vessels, as shell. well as olive oil from the Mediterranean languages still live in the southern coast. The A-Group flourished until it Nile Valley was destroyed by pharaohs of Egypt’s First Dynasty around 3100 BC. The Oriental Institute holds one of Middle Nubia three major collections from Distinct cultures lived in Nubia from ancient Nubia in the United States* 2400 to 1550 BC. Archaeologists have named them the C-Group, Pan-Grave, and *The others are the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Kerma cultures. Egyptians also occupied University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and parts of Nubia at this time. Although they Archaeology Nubian incense burners FROM THE DIRECTOR’S STUDY By Gil J. Stein When the Robert F. Picken Family Nubian Gallery opens at properly conserved, develops the text panels, graphics, and the end of February, it will be one of only three major mu- labels, and physically installs the artifacts in their cases. Some seum collections of Nubian artifacts on display in the United of the hardest work goes into the development of the text States. With this gallery, we now have the opportunity to panels — since it is here that the exhibit will either succeed present the rich culture and complex history of this civiliza- or fail in communicating the meaning and context of the arti- tion on the Nile to a broader public. The artifacts in the gal- facts to the public. The process begins with our guest cura- lery will certainly dazzle the eye; but we need to go beyond tors Dr. Bruce Williams and Dr. Stephen Harvey — specialists that. Most visitors will enter the Oriental Institute’s museum in the archaeology of Egypt and Nubia. The draft they write knowing less about the civilization of Nubia than they would then goes to a copy editor, Joan Barghusen, who edits the about its northern neighbor Egypt. We therefore face the text to improve clarity. The text is then reviewed by Museum challenge of educating the public about Nubia and its com- Director Dr. Geoff Emberling, who sends it out to the plex, ever-changing relationship with Egypt. During the Egyptologists in the Oriental Institute for their review, com- course of three millennia, Nubia went from being Egypt’s ments, and suggested revisions. These comments then help trading partner, its mortal enemy, and its colony through to a the guest curators who review the text to edit in changes as period when Nubia conquered Egypt and established its own needed. Once the content has passed a final review by guest dynasty of Nubian pharaohs to rule its former ruler. curators and by Geoff Emberling, the text goes to our graphic How can we convey this much information about Nubia design specialist, Diane Hanau-Strain, who formats the mate- in a way that will be informative and accurate, while still be- rial, adds graphics, adjusts the color, and sends the final elec- ing comprehensible and actually interesting? Over the course tronic files out to be produced as the actual text panels that of our ten-year reinstallation process, we have developed the will be affixed to the walls of the gallery. This process takes idea of a reinstallation team tailored to the needs of each gal- several months to complete, but the end product is designed lery.