Kemet

"Kings and queens of Nubia reigned over one of the largest empires in the ancient world and had contacts extending north to Greece and Rome, south to sub-Saharan Africa, east to the Red Sea, and west across much of the Sahel. Even a quick look at Nubia’s artifacts reveals the incredible creativity of its artists, architects, craftspeople, and thinkers.

Despite their significance, the achievements of ancient Nubia are little known to the public and are often viewed as a subculture, a derivative offshoot of Egypt, Nubia’s northern neighbor. Nothing could be further from the truth. During its over eight-thousand-year lifespan (beginning around 8000 BCE), Nubia indelibly shaped the art and architecture of the ancient world, an influence still felt today.

Ancient Nubian Art is the first comprehensive and accessible treatment of Nubian artistic culture and showcases its vast range―from ceramics, sculptures, and jewelry to tombs, temples, and palaces.

Rita E. Freed, curator emerita at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which has the largest collection of Nubian artifacts outside the Nile Valley, contextualizes the development of Nubian art against a vivid backdrop of kingship, power, worship, identity, gender, technology, and internationalism. Her text is accompanied by a foreword by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and sidebars by expert voices from the field."

Gold signet ring from the reign of Akhenaten, Egypt, 1353-1323 BC

Treasure hoard of Roman jewelry uncovered near Lyon, France, 5th century AD

A guest smells the lotus flower while the others pass along the fruit in a banquet scene.

Dua Djehuty on his day!

Pyramidion of Ramose

The limestone Pyramidion of Ramose, from the top of the tomb of the ‘Necropolis Scribe’. Scenes on all four sides depict the worship of the sun. Ramose of the 19th dynasty was an ancient Egyptian noble and high-ranking official during the reign of kings Seti I and Ramesses II.

Ramose served as a vizier, which was a prestigious administrative position in ancient Egypt. He is known for his tomb, which contains detailed reliefs depicting scenes from his life and various aspects of ancient Egyptian culture.

New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1292-1189 BC. From Tomb of Ramose (TT7), Deir el Medina, Thebes. Now in the Egyptian Museum of Turin. C. 1603

You could say that the never ending battle between good and evil is a real pain in the eye!

King Herihor before the Two lions of the Aker deity, representing “Today” and “Tomorrow”. A personification of the horizon, Aker was a deity of the Earth and Underworld, believed to guard both the eastern and western horizons (Bakhu and Manu).

Book of the Dead of Nodjmet Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, ca. 1069-945 BC. Now in the British Museum. EA10541