Kush (Artifacts)

This page is all about the Kingdom of the Kush.

10 Artifacts:

1. Kushite Ruler Sculpture

This is sculpture is made from green schist and was made c. 716-702 BC. It portrays the face of a Kushite ruler slightly smirking. Source: http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-ancient-places-africa/nubia-and-powerful-kingdom-kush-002257

2. Ceramic Jar

This ceramic Jar was made c. 100 BC- 300 AD. It was discovered in 1908 and depicts giraffes and snakes as a form of decoration. Source: http://umich.edu/~kelseydb/Exhibits/AncientNubia/Artifacts.html

3. Sphinx of Taharqo

This is a statue of the Sphinx of Taharqo. It is made from granite and was made around 680 BC. It's face is that of the ruler Taharqo on the famous Egyptian Sphnix. It represents how he absorbed and connected both the Egyptian and Kushite kingdoms. (This artifact was also included in A History of the World in 100 Podcasts) Source: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/s/sphinx_of_taharqo.aspx

4. Faience Statuette

This statuette shows the Egyptian god Amun holding his "wife", the Kushite princess Amenirdis. This shows scientists that the Kushites saw that their right to rule Egypt was given by the God Amun of Jebel Barkal. Source: http://www.jebelbarkal.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=73

5. Head of Aspelta

This statue shows the Kushite ruler Aspelta. He was the ruler at the time of Psamtik II's invasion of the Kush lands. This is from c. 580-600 BC. Source: http://www.jebelbarkal.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=73

6. Cylinder Sheath of Aspelta

This is a part of several gold, electrum, and silver objects found in many tombs of the kings and queens of the Kush Empire. It has been suggested that this was used for holding rolled documents, but this is debated due to the fact that its end is open. Source: http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/cylinder-sheath-of-aspelta-143776

7. Sarcophagus of Merymose

This sarcophagus held the viceroy of the Kush Empire, Merymose. This is one of the more expensive sarcophagi from the time, with it being made from stone, instead of wood. It was made around 1350 BC and was discovered in 1940. Source: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/s/sarcophagus_of_merymose.aspx

8. Great shabti of King Taharqa

 

This artifact illustrates how the Kushites introduced new burial methods to Egypt. They gave the Egyptians new mummification methods, new sarcaphagi, and provisions to shabti figures, as seen in the above picture. This specific one is of King Taharqa and is made of granite around 664 BC. Source: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/g/granite_shabti_of_king_taharqa.aspx

9. Funerary Cone of Merymose

This cone shown above was placed at the entrance to the "mud-brick superstructure of the tomb" of Merymose. These cones were stamped with his name, title, and the name of the pharaoh that he served. It was made c. 1390-1350 BC. Source: http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/funerary-cone-of-merymose-4439

10. Shrine in the form of a hut

This object is a model of Gabel Barkal, or the "pure mountain" which is the site of the oracle of Amun, which is where they crowned the next king. It was believed that this was where this god dwelled, so this mountain was very important to the entire Kushite Empire. It was made in the second century BC. Source: http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/shrine-in-the-form-of-a-hut-144530