Nubian gold and rock crustal pendant with head of Hathor, 743-712 BCNubia can be most simply defined as the place you reached when you sailed south down the Nile beyond the borders of Egypt. Since Egypt grew and shrank over the centuries, depending on the power of its rulers, Nubia tended to move around, its capital travelling north and south by hundreds of miles so as to be at the center of the realm. A Nubian kingdom with monumental architecture and named rulers can be traced back to around 2400 BC, and the state endured in one form or another until the Muslim conquest.
Winged Isis pectoral, 538–519 B.C.Throughout this whole period Nubia was very much under Egyptian influence. Most of their art looks Egyptian to me, although I'm sure there are local differences known to experts. Over the past few decades there have been several blockbuster exhibititions of Nubian art, I suppose because the Nubians were undeniably black Africans who had a civilization with writing and cities and all that in ancient times.
Cemetery at Meroë
I got into this today via
the Getty, which is hosting an exhibit of Nubian jewelry. But most of the objects in that exhibition came from the
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which co-sponsored excavations in Nubia than ran from 1913 to 1932. I found more images at their web site, including the picture above, from the excavations.
Earring with Hathor, 90 BC to 50 AD
Necklace of Cornelian and Travertine, AD 50-320
Anyway here are some of the wonders from those museums.
Alabastron, 593-568 BC
Amulet of Hathor nursing a Queen, 743-712 BC
Globular ceramic vessel with crocodiles, 100 to 200 AD
Ram's head earring, 550-500 BC
Necklace with cylandrical amulet case, of silver, glazed crystal, carnelian, and faience, 1700 to 1550 BC
Electrum collar, 712-698 BC
Closeup-of two necklaces, from the banner to the Getty's exhibit
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