#meroe

meroë, sudan 1976

nubian pyramids

~ Head of a statue of Dionysos.

Culture: Greek

Period: Late Hellenistic

Date: 150–50 B.C.

Place of origin: Nubia (Sudan), Meröe (Begrawiya), Pyramid N 5

Ancient Africa's Stunning Art Secrets

Discover gold, stone masterpieces revealing lost worlds. Ancient African artists crafted breathtaking works that peek into revered animals, sacred souls, and royal lives. From Egypt to southern kingdoms, these pieces dazzle and teach.

Key Facts

Benin brass plaques stood 45 cm tall, showed warriors and rulers in high relief.

Plaques adorned Benin royal palace pillars, captured battles, court scenes, rituals.

Featured regions: Egypt, Meroe, Ptolemaic kingdom, West/East Africa, Mutapa, Mapungubwe.

Materials: gold, stone, metals; themes: animals, human head as soul's seat, trendy jewelry.

Historical Context

Ancient and medieval African cultures spanned the continent, from Nile valleys to southern savannas. Artists drew from daily life, spirituality, and power struggles. Benin plaques, for example, chronicled real palace events and conflicts.

Historical Significance

These artworks unlock cultural minds—why heads held souls or leopards ruled symbols. They prove Africa's artistic genius rivaled anywhere, influencing global views. Surprise: Benin plaques weren't just pretty; they were history books in brass.

Various biological anthropological studies have shown close, biological affinities between the predynastic southern, Egyptian and the early Nubian populations

Frank Yurco (1996) remarked that depictions of pharaonic iconography such as the royal crowns, Horus falcons and victory scenes were concentrated in the Upper EgyptianNaqada culture and A-Group Lower Nubia. He further elaborated that "Egyptian writing arose in Naqadan Upper Egypt and A-Group Lower Nubia, and not in the Delta cultures, where the direct Western Asian contact was made, [which] further vitiates the Mesopotamian-influence argument"

In 2023, Christopher Ehret reported that the existing archaeological, linguistic, biological anthropological and genetic evidence had determined the founding populations of Ancient Egyptian areas such as Naqada and El-Badari to be the descendants of longtime inhabitants in Northeastern Africa which included Egypt, Nubia and the northern Horn of Africa.

Hello all and welcome!

My name is Dian, I'm 21 y/o, I am Latino and a pagan.

This is a sideblog for my journey with my deities. I currently worship deities from different pantheons: my own conpantheon, the kushite pantheon (especially the one in worshipped in the meroitic period of Kush), and the etruscan pantheon (aka Rasenna polytheism). Currently like this:

Devoted to:

Danéh & Darukus (Conpantheon)

Worshipping:

Apedemak (Kushite)

Aman (Kushite)

Amesemi (Kushite)

Considering:

Sutekh (Kemetic)

Djehuty (Kemetic-Kushite)

Atari (Kemetic-Kushite)

Sobek (Kemetic)

Inpu (Kemetic-Kushite)

Sekhmet (Kemetic-Kushite)

Dedun (Kushite)

Menerva (Etruscan)

Turan (Etruscan)

Turms (Etruscan)

Uni (Etruscan)

Artumes (Etruscan)

Fufluns (Etruscan)

Atunis (Etruscan)

Iao Sabaoth (Christopagan)

Péh₂usōn (Proto Indo-European)

This might expand and move around in the future of course!