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Posted on 01/03/2010 11:35:29 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists have discovered a monumental statue of an ancient black Egyptian pharaoh of the Nubian 25th Dynasty in Dangeil, Sudan, about 350 kilometres northeast of the capital, Khartoum. The granite statue of the warrior pharaoh Taharqa weighs one ton, according to its discoverer, Dr Caroline Rocheleau of the North Carolina Museum of Art... The statues of two other Nubian pharaohs were also discovered... Taharqa was ruler of both Egypt and Nubia (Kush) during the 25th Dynasty, which was based in Nubia, which had a long history of pyramid building, apparently independent of Egypt. His reign is dated from 690 BC to 664 BC. The pharaoh is mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Kings under the name "Tirhakah." [e.g. 2 Kings 19:9] "Kush" refers to areas south of Egypt, including Nubia... Eventually, King Essrhaddon of Assyria would defeat Pharaoh Taharqa, who continued to rule in Nubia, despite his defeat. The little-known 25th Dynasty produced striking statues and paintings of its black rulers, as well as of their restoration of a declining Egyptian civilisation. Modern-day Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt, a reflection both of the ancient Nubian culture and the later civilisation of Meroe.
(Excerpt) Read more at digitaljournal.com ...
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The Black Pharaohs:
Egypt's Nubian Rulers
by Robert G. Morkot
paperback
Current News
[from the hard drive, apparently never posted]
Papyrus letter to Paiankh
From Thebes, Egypt
Late New Kingdom, around 1080 BC
‘Uncover a tomb among the ancient tombs and preserve its seal until I return’
A large number of papyri were found in Western Thebes in the nineteenth century. They are known collectively as the ‘Late Ramesside letters’. The letters mostly relate to the last years of the reign of Ramesses XI (1126-1108 BC), and onwards to the end of the New Kingdom (around 1086 BC). They come from the family archive of the scribe Djehutymose (known as Tjaroy) and his son Butehamun, who worked in the royal necropolis and lived in the village at Medinet Habu.
The general Paiankh was the most powerful man in Thebes. However, for much of this time he was in Nubia, fighting Panehsy, the former viceroy, who had turned against the crown of Egypt in about 1090 BC. It is unlikely that Paiankh succeeded in controlling Panehsy, since Nubia was soon lost to Egypt, though the general probably managed to keep Panehsy from harassing Thebes.
The letter opens in the typical fashion of ancient Egyptian letters, with a long passage of formal greetings before turning to business. It then relates several tasks which Paiankh has asked Butehamun to do, and his response. One says ‘Uncover a tomb among the ancient tombs and preserve its seal until I return’. This might be a reference to Paiankh opening the tombs of the earlier kings and stripping them of their wealth to pay for his campaigns. As with so many letters and documents from ancient Egypt, its true meaning is cryptic; both the sender and recipient knew exactly what was meant, though we may not.
E.F.Wente, Letters from Ancient Egypt (Atlanta, Scholars Press, 1990)
That’s very interesting. Thanks for posting it. I really do wish they’d have more photos of these things.
So? These people are Africans, most Africans are dark skinned. What does that even mean “black”?
The 25th or Nubian dynasty was unusual in that it was black African; in pharaonic times the Egyptians portrayed different ethnic groups in their art, and black Africans are shown as black. Egyptian men are generally red-brown, Egyptian women generally very light-skinned.
:’)
Yeah, the statue isn’t all that big by comparison with the really large stuff from ancient Egypt, but it would still be nice. Caroline Rocheleau doesn’t seem to have posted pics on her ‘blog or anywhere else.
http://thessea.org/columns.php?articleID=54
whoops.
http://thessea.org/columns.php?articleID=54
[snip] Taharqo, Senkamanisken and Aspelta at Dangeil. Wow! The statues are broken at the neck, the knees and the ankles, and we have various body parts for each statue. Both Taharqo and Senkamanisken have great muscular bodies with an inscribed back pillar (Taharqo is more than life-size and weighs over one ton) and lovely feet on the statue base, but we are missing their heads and their lower legs. As for Aspelta, it completely the opposite: we have his beautiful head, lower legs and his feet, but not his body. At present, the head is identified as Aspelta’s purely on its resemblance to the statues of Aspelta at Barkal and Dukki Gel.
We also have a small statue of a Meroitic queen, possibly the Kandake Amanitore. [unsnip]
Is that Bahraqa?
Probably to differentiate from the North Africans, who are generally lighter-skinned.
LOL! That’s great. It must be fun to check the “Race” box on applications and surveys.
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