Archaeology
Ancient Egyptian discovery rewrites history of Sudanese kingdom
Polish archaeologists excavating at the ruins of Old Dongola in Sudan have discovered Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics inscribed on sandstone blocks.
Old Dongola was the capital of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria, located on the eastern banks of the River Nile in Northern Sudan.
The Kingdom of Makuria emerged during the 5th century AD following the collapse of the Nubian Kingdom of Kush. At its peak during the 9th–11th century AD, the kingdom stretched from the area along the Nile from the Third Cataract, to south of Abu Hamad, and parts of northern Kordofan.
The kingdom saw cultural and religious reforms, referred to as “Nubization”, that sought to counter the growing influence of Arabic in the Coptic Church, and introduced the cult of dead rulers and bishops, as well as indigenous Nubian saints.
Image Credit : Dr. Dawid F. Wieczorek
Recent excavations at Old Dongola have uncovered over 100 blocks of white sandstone, inscribed with Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics from the period of the 25th dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Nubian Dynasty.
The 25th dynasty was a line of pharaohs who originated in the Kingdom of Kush that reigned in part or all of Ancient Egypt for nearly a century, from 744 to 656 BC. The 25th Dynasty’s reunification of Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, and Kush, created the largest Egyptian empire since the New Kingdom. They assimilated into society by reaffirming Ancient Egyptian religious traditions, temples, and artistic forms, while introducing some unique aspects of Kushite culture.
The blocks found at Old Dongola were originally part of a structure, possibly a temple, built in the first half of the 1st millennium BC, the earliest example of human activity on the site identified so far.
Egyptologist Dr. Dawid F. Wieczorek said: “This is a huge discovery, because despite the 60-year Polish archaeological presence in Old Dongola, no evidence of such early construction activity on the site has been identified so far. It is impossible to say whether this material is local or was brought from some other site. Nevertheless, it is surprising that there are so many of these blocks, and from different parts it seems of the same temple.”
Some of the blocks are from the flooring, outer walls, and from a pylon (a tower flanking the entrance to the temple). “This would push back the known history of this city by over 1000 years,” said Dr. Wieczorek.
Within a radius of more than 100 kilometres from Old Dongola, there are no other known examples of sites with Egyptian-style architecture. The closest are Gebel Barkal (about 150 km up the Nile), and Kawa (about 120 km down the Nile). Both were leading urban and religious centres established during the New Kingdom in the 16th and 14th centuries BC.
Header Image Credit : Dr. Dawid F. Wieczorek
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the Ministry of Culture (Peruvian State) have uncovered ceramic vessels from the Chancay culture in the Chancay district of Lima, Peru.
The discovery was made following reports by locals of illegal excavations, an endemic problem in the region known as “Huaqueo” involving the exploitation of archaeological sites for artefacts to be sold on the black market.
Around 20,000 archaeological pieces are illegally extracted and trafficked out of Peru annually, which poses a constant danger to the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.
Following a joint inspection by officials of the Municipality of Chancay and the Ministry of Culture, archaeologists have recovered ten pre-Hispanic ceramic vessels belonging to the Chancay culture at the Lauri Archaeological Site.
The Chancay culture emerged after the fall of the Wari civilisation around AD 1,000 on the central coast of Peru. Parts of the southern Chancay area were conquered by the Chimú in the early 1400s, and by around AD 1450 the Inca had dominated the entire Chimú territory.
Among the recovered vessels are ceramic jugs, pots and plates, which the Chimú manufactured using moulds.
The vessels are decorated with the “black on white” style, a technique commonly associated with the Chimú that involved painting a white background on a rough matt surface, followed by a dark colour for the decorative elements.
According to the Peruvian State: “The initial evaluation of the vessels confirmed that they are noticeably deteriorated, and in some cases fragmented due to their exposure to adverse environmental conditions or their violent manipulation. Subsequently, the pieces were transferred to the institutional headquarters for their preservation.”
Header Image Credit : Ministry of Culture
Sources : Peruvian State
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
A community excavation in Israel’s Berner region has uncovered a bowl depicting a hexagram star.
The bowl dates from the Abbasid period when Israel was ruled by the Fatimid Caliphate, an Isma’ili Shia dynasty spanning a large area of North Africa and West Asia.
A hexagram star is typically associated with the Star of David, a symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. However, this association first appeared in the 17th century, becoming more widespread during the 19th century as it came to symbolise Zionism.
The hexagram star does appear in some early Jewish contexts, but mainly as a decorative motif in 4th-century synagogues in the Galilee region. Some religious contexts include a hexagram star in a manuscript of the Hebrew Bible from 11th-century Cairo, in addition to the carpet page of the famous Tanakh manuscript, the Leningrad Codex dated to AD 1008.
A predecessor to the Star of David was the Seal of Solomon, the legendary signet ring attributed to the Israelite king, Solomon. The tradition of Solomon’s Seal later made its way into Islamic Arab sources.
According to a press announcement by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the bowl dates from around the 9th to 10th century AD and is glazed with a green ceramic pigment showing a hexagram star.
The bowl appears to have been damaged in ancient times and repaired using drilled holes, where metal or lead wires were inserted. Dr. Itamar Taksel, from the IAA said: “The repair of the bowl indicates that it was of importance in the eyes of its previous owners – maybe because of the star’s model, or that he had limited financial means, and therefore it was better to invest in repairing the bowl rather than purchasing a new one.”
Header Image Credit : Israel Antiquities Authority
Sources : Israel Antiquities Authority
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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