#qustul

The Qustul Incense Burner 

• •  While excavating an A-Group cemetery, the Qustul Incense Burner was found in the tomb of a Nubian ruler at Qustul. It is made of limestone and contains carved images, a common technique of Nubian rock art. In the first photo the artifact is drawn flat to show the images more clearly. These include sacred boats (used in ceremonial practices), a feline, an antelope, rosette, a falcon deity, a prisoner, the White Crown, and a palace. These pharaonic images, similar to those found in Egyptian art, reaffirms a relationship between Nubia and Egypt.

These similarities have caused much debate in anthropology. While some believe Nubian rulers and Egyptian pharaohs just used related royal symbols, others argue that Nubians were imitating Egyptian art and rituals. The assumption dismisses evidence of Nubian unification before that of Upper Egypt.