What is the significance of nubia

Nubians appear to have been assimilated into Egyptian culture. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Search for:. The Nubian Region. This map shows the modern-day location of Nubia. Licenses and Attributions. These tiny amulets depict twin images of Harpocrates, or Horus the Child, the infant form of the god Horus. The chubby physique and sidelock identify him as a young child. Napatan kings wore distinctive jewelry, in particular pendant necklaces and earrings bearing the head of a ram, the manifestation of Amen, the supreme deity.

Originally reserved for royalty, jewelry featuring images of Amen, here represented by the ram, eventually became available to other high-status individuals. The flowers seen here are made of gold sheet and would have been attached by loops to a headband. Head ornaments with stylized blossoms have a long history in the Nile valley, but they were not common during the Napatan era, making this a rare example.

While almost nothing remains of the chapels that once stood against the pyramids at Nuri, this block from the tomb of King Aramatelka is a rare survivor. The scene is adopted from Egyptian tombs of the Old Kingdom from 2, years earlier. The figure on the left is playing the board game senet.

The decoration is only a preliminary outline and would have been plastered and brightly painted. Sometime prior to the 4th century BC, the Nubian capital moved south to the city of Meroe. A cosmopolitan metropolis and the center of a vast international trading network, Meroe featured a flourishing city center and far-ranging suburbs.

These areas included a religious quarter, iron-working facilities, and a complex system for collecting water, as recent excavations have revealed. While it was one of the great cities of antiquity, Meroe remains among the least understood. In part, that mystery stems from the fact that scholars are unable to read the writing. This writing called Meroitic—the second oldest script in Africa, after Egyptian hieroglyphs—has yet to be fully deciphered.

As a result, what scholars know about life in Meroe relies mainly on art, archaeology, and the text of ancient authors from abroad. Scholars have used these sources to piece together the story of this historical moment. The Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Expedition excavated most of their pyramid tombs and chapels, bringing to light the objects on view here.

The ancient Romans tried—but failed—to conquer Meroe in 22 BC. Ultimately, the Roman emperor Augustus signed a peace treaty with the Nubian queen Amenirenas. In the Amen temple complex at Gebel Barkal, the excavators found a series of bronze plaques showing tightly bound captive foreigners, including these examples.

Each has distinct attributes, and Meroitic inscriptions on the backs identify them. Scenes of Meroitic royals sometimes show them sitting with their feet on footrests decorated with pictures of trussed enemy captives.

This fragmentary object found in the Great Amen Temple is part of such a footrest. When the king or queen used it, they symbolically trampled their fallen foes. Meroitic kings, queens, and other elites regularly sacrificed animals in the entrances to their tombs.

These bells once adorned horse collars. The incised decoration focuses on the theme of vanquished enemies. Two of the bells portray bound prisoners with spears or arrows protruding from their bodies. The third features fallen soldiers being devoured by vultures.

Nubia was long famous for the skill of its archers. This quiver, complete with its set of arrows, was discovered in a late tomb at Meroe. A chain allows it to be worn across the body while a tightly fitting hinged lid protected the arrows.

Priests carrying short quivers and arrows appear in the scenes from royal chapels at Meroe and elsewhere, suggesting that these objects played some part in funeral ceremonies. Unlike most archers today, Nubian warriors used the thumb rather than the forefinger to pull back the bowstring. Thumb rings like these, with the thicker end worn toward the base of the thumb, prevented the string from digging into the skin and enabled it to be drawn back further.

Eventually, these items became pieces of jewelry independent of their original function. The pyramid of Queen Amanikhatashan, the only Nubian ruling queen of the mid-1st century AD, contained a wealth of Roman imports. It is therefore likely that this lamp, with a handle of a galloping horse, comes from the Roman world. The Roman writer Pliny recorded a delegation sent by the emperor Nero on a visit to Meroe.

Likely an import from Ptolemaic Egypt, this delicate little ring bears an inscription in Greek wishing good fortune to its wearer. This large, bronze bowl comes from the tomb of Queen Amanikhatashan. In the central boss, or ornamentation, is a scene from ancient Greek mythology.

A hunter named Actaeon angered the goddess Artemis, who turned him into a stag, causing his own hunting dogs to kill him. Like the lamp nearby, the bowl might have been a gift to the queen from a delegation sent to Meroe by the Roman emperor Nero. Goblet with Relief Decoration , mid-1st century AD silver and remains of gilding. Encircling this goblet is a man and two small children clinging to a woman. The woman raises her hands in appeal to a seated magistrate, identifiable by the special chair upon which he rests.

A man with an axe, perhaps an executioner, stands at the ready. Whether this is an actual historical event, an allegory, or a mythological scene remains unknown. This bronze lamp, from the tomb of King Takideamani, displays a number of classical features.

In the Meroitic Period, classical decorative motifs became so popular that it can be difficult to distinguish between imports and locally made items. However, there is a Meroitic emblem on top of this lamp and an inscription in Meroitic cursive on the back of the acanthus leaf, suggesting that this lamp was produced locally.

Discovered in the courtyard of the Great Temple of Amen, this statue was probably a votive offering. Amen was the most important god in Nubia since at least Napatan times and often appears as a ram. In both Egypt and Nubia, sphinxes were well-established symbols of royal authority, combining the head of a ruler with the fierce and powerful body of a lion.

Because this sphinx was excavated from debris near the great Amen temple at Gebel Barkal, its original context remains unknown, as does the identity of the king it represents. Finger rings were extremely popular during Meroitic times. Both men and women often wore multiple rings, more than one to a finger. Most common were signet rings cast in gold or silver with incised decoration, often bearing images of religious significance.

Because the Meroitic script has yet to be deciphered, it is not always clear exactly what the motifs meant to their owners. Some may have functioned as talismans or amulets, bringing power or protection to the wearer.

One of the most powerful deities in the Meroitic pantheon, Apedemak was unique to Nubia. In the center is a rearing cobra, a symbol of royalty. The vulture and cobra, originally the goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, respectively, came to be symbols of kingship.

Nubians likely adopted them in this context. The bezel of this signet ring shows a wide beaded collar. On this ring, the infant version of the god Horus, Harpocrates, emerges from the blossom of a lotus, an image of rebirth. The head of a falcon, possibly the sun god, Ra, sits within a sun disk flanked by cobras. He wears a crown typical of Nubian royalty, with a sun disk topped by a pair of feathers and two uraeus cobras—a uniquely Meroitic combination of elements.

The bezel of this cast silver ring bears the face of a ram with downward curved horns. The animal wears a headdress composed of a sun disk, tall plumes, and a pair of cobras, symbols of royalty. This is undoubtedly the god Amen. This rearing cobra once wrapped protectively around a finger. This is among the earliest known examples of this type of enameling. Jewelry artists used many complex techniques—stamping, delicate wirework, granulation, enameling, to name a few—to produce a variety of earring types and designs.

Some represent local interpretations of Egyptian motifs while others display inspiration from the ancient Greek and Roman world. Earrings were worn by both men and women in Meroitic times.

Only one example of each is shown here; in most cases, the matching earring is in the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum. The identity of the elaborately dressed goddess shown on this ear stud is not clear, but she may be Mut, the wife of Amen.

The center of this ear stud features three images of the protective god Bes wearing a tall, feathered headdress against a background of dark blue enamel. The rim decoration bears papyrus motifs. For this technique, wires are fused to a sheet of metal, creating compartments that can then be filled with enamel.

The conical central portion carries a floral motif. It is surrounded by two rows of granulation, each tiny grain individually soldered on; a band of circles in reddish enamel; and a wreath offlower petals filled with pale blue enamel. Strap-like bracelets, such as these, were frequently worn stacked on both arms. These two come from a set of three matched pairs found in the same tomb. Both are edged by loop-in-loop chains made of thin, delicate wire, which passes through the center of the bracelet at intervals to hold the beads in place.

Notice the elaborate decoration of the tiny gold beads. On each end is a lotus flower terminating in a loop fastener. Necklace with Leaf-shaped Beads , 50— AD carnelian, travertine, and obsidian. A popular color scheme for Meroitic jewelry was reddish orange, black, and white—here achieved through the use of carnelian, obsidian, and travertine. During the Meroitic Period, Nubian jewelers combined elaborate goldwork with beads made of glass or semi-precious stones.

Carnelian, seen here, was a particular favorite. This necklace is composed of 54 hollow gold beads, each made up of a three-dimensional figure soldered to a flat back. As is common in Meroitic jewelry, the metal beads bear images of composite deities.

In this case, the lower part of each bead shows the head of a ram wearing a sun disk, most likely the god Amen. Each of the 20 hollow gold pendants on this partial necklace bears an image of the god Amen in the form of a ram. He wears his characteristic solar disk and tall feathers on his head. This bracelet is composed of 10 gold sheet rectangles, each bearing an image of Harpocrates, the infant form of the god Horus.

This bracelet, found in the tomb of a royal woman, is made up of three hinged segments. Here, the goddess Hathor occupies the central panel. Meroitic jewelers were known for their skill with a variety of enameling techniques. The artist who created this amulet of the creator Ptah made the most of natural materials. Prince Tedeken stands at the right offering food and libations to the god Osiris, seated, and his wife, Isis.

By early Meroitic times, inscriptions were written in the Meroitic language, rather than in Egyptian hieroglyphs as they had been earlier.

Egyptian hieroglyphs at the top name the god Osiris, while below, an invocation to Isis to provide nourishment to the prince in the afterlife is written in cursive Meroitic. The food and drink shown on this offering table would have been for the benefit of the prince in the afterlife.

Egyptian hieroglyphs tell us the goddess on the left is Nephthys while the jackal-headed god on the right is Anubis; both are associated with protection. The deities pour water onto the table from which it runs into a hollow oval channel. An offering formula in the Meroitic script, which scholars have not yet been able to translate, runs around the border. Fine, decorated pottery is a highlight of Meroitic art.

They drew inspiration from local Nubian traditions as well as the Egyptian and classical worlds. Grapevines were a popular motif—an appropriate choice, considering that wine was a major import from the north. Vessels were wheel-thrown and painted, incised, or stamped. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Warning: It looks like JavaScript is currently disabled. Please be aware that some features of this website will not work as intended. All Events Host an Event.

Toggle search Search for. Search the Site Search the Collection. The exhibition contains imagery that could be disturbing to some viewers. The mud brick ruins of the more recent temple still dominate the cemetery landscape, while only the foundations of the earlier one remain. Kerma Pottery Pottery vessels, which probably played an important role in funeral ceremonies, were among the most popular burial objects of the Classic Kerma Period — BC. Excavated at Kerma Classic Kerma Period Head of a Ram , — BC glazed quartz Rams and lions were prominent symbols of power, and animal figures made of blue-glazed quartz are particular to Kerma.

Egypt, Late Middle Kingdom to early New Kingdom Excavated at Kerma Mirror , — BC bronze The bronze handle of this mirror imitates a handle wrapped in braided leather while at the top a pair of falcons sits facing outward on a lotus blossom. Gift of Herbert W. Jackson Pasha, Emily Esther Sears Fund, Marilyn M. Simpson Fund, Excavated at Gebel Barkal Napatan Period, reign of Akharitene Statue of King Akharitene , — BC granodiorite This statue, discovered in debris outside the temple of Amen, was made nearly years after the nearby statue of Senkamanisken.

Napatan Period, reign of Piankhy Excavated at el-Kurru Inscribed Ball , — BC steatite The exact function of this object is unknown, but the inscriptions suggest that it had sacred powers. Excavated at el-Kurru Napatan Period, reign of Piankhy 1. Amulet of Pataikos , — BC faience In this amulet, Pataikos holds a pair of large knives while two lions sit at his feet. Eye of Horus Amulet , — BC faience The maker of this amulet combined several popular motifs to create an unusual pectoral filled with protective imagery.

Amulet of a Double Falcon-headed Deity , — BC faience The solar deity represented by this unusual amulet remains unidentified. Hathor head Amulet , — BC faience The face of the cow-eared goddess Hathor appears in the center of this amulet. Menat Necklace , — BC faience Menats were originally counterweights for broad, heavy necklaces, but by the Napatan Period they functioned as amulets offering protection in the afterlife.

Shrine-shaped Amulet , — BC faience This unusual, three-dimensional amulet takes the form of a shrine; in it stands a falcon-headed deity. Winged Scarab Pectoral , — BC faience Shrine-shaped Pectoral , — BC faience On this shrine-shaped pectoral, a nude god strides through a marsh setting.

Statuette of Bes , — BC faience Bes was a friendly deity despite his hostile appearance. Amulet of a Ram-headed God , — BC faience This unusual amulet portrays an unidentified deity and combines the features of more common amulets.

Amulet of a Goddess , — BC faience Like its three-dimensional counterpart also in this case, this amulet portrays a winged, lioness-headed goddess wearing a sun disk on her head. Shrine Pectoral , — BC faience This shrine-shaped pectoral features imagery on both sides. Amulet of a Seated Sphinx , — BC faience Amulet of Bes , — BC faience Despite his frightening appearance—part human and part lion—Bes was a benevolent deity who protected women and children by frightening away threatening forces.

Amulet of a Goddess , — BC faience The name of this lioness goddess remains unknown. Amulet of a Goddess , — BC faience This nude, winged goddess wears a complex headdress featuring a lunar crescent, solar disk, and tall plumes.

Bead with Rosette , — BC faience On one side of this large bead is an elaborate rosette. Amulet of Imsety , — BC gold Imsety was one of the Egyptian funerary deities adopted by the Nubians for protecting the internal organs of the dead. Amulet of Hathor Nursing a Queen , — BC gilded silver This amulet shows Hathor, the goddess of love and fertility, nursing Queen Nefrukekashta, providing divine nourishment for the afterlife.

In fact, they were seen, and saw themselves, as culturally Egyptian. The two cultures were so close that some scholars see them as indistinguishable. Nubians appear to have been assimilated into Egyptian culture.

Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Ancient Egypt. Search for:. Nubia and Ancient Egypt. Kush was an urban, literate kingdom in sub-Saharan Africa, whose people and rulers were black. By Timothy Kendall. In America it has come to be virtually synonymous with blackness and Africa.

To ethnographers and linguists, it refers to a specific region straddling southern Egypt and northern Sudan, where black-skinned Nubians have traditionally lived. To archaeologists in the s it is an ever-widening area of the Middle Nile Valley and surrounding deserts that extends approximately from Aswan in Egypt south to modern Khartoum, Sudan, and beyond.