Haynes Joyce L. Nubia: Ancient Kingdoms of Africa

Museum of Fine Arts, 1994. — 68 p.The Museum of Fine Arts' Department of Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art has explored and researched the cultures of ancient Nubia since the early part of this century. In 1906, George Andrew Reisner (fig. 1), head of the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Archaeological Expedition, was asked by the Egyptian government to head an archaeological survey of northern Nubia. This survey was necessary because plans were under way to enlarge the first Aswan Dam, which had been completed in 1902. Once the new dam was finished, the ancient remains of the cultures that existed between the First and Second cataracts of the Nile would be flooded and lost underwater. Soon after completing the survey, Reisner moved farther south, into the Sudan, to begin excavations of sites from later periods (about 2000 B.C.- A.D. 350). From 1913 to 1932, the Museum Expedition explored major sites, including: five massive mud-brick forts guarding the river at the Second Cataract the walled city and huge burial sites of the Kerma culture the royal cemeteries of el Kurru and Nuri (fig. 2) the Great Temple at the holy mountain at Jebel Barkal (pronounced Jeh-bell Bar-cal) at the Fourth Cataract the cemeteries of the city of Meroe (Mer-oh-ay). The government of the Sudan agreed to award half of the objects found to the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, with the Sudanese choosing first what they would keep. As a result of these excavations, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, now houses the finest and most extensive collection of Nubian art outside of Khartoum. Highlights of the Boston collection include colossal sculptures of ancient Nubian kings, dazzling gold jewelry, one of the largest granite sarcophagi ever excavated, and ceramics of unequaled craftsmanship. Reisner's chief excavator in the Sudan was Harvard graduate Dows Dunham (1890-1984). Dunham eventually succeeded Reisner as curator of the Museum's Egyptian Department, and published seven books and numerous articles on the Nubian excavations. In 1986, Museum excavations in Nubia were renewed and have revealed new discoveries at the site of Jebel Barkal. The Museum continues to play an important part in the ongoing exploration of the history of Nubia. A timeline in figure 3 presents the major periods of Nubian cultures. Thanks to worldwide interest in the fascinating cultures that make up Nubia's history, our knowledge of Nubia has increased greatly in the last decade. For the first time at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this material is showcased in its own gallery. This installation provides a long-awaited opportunity to highlight Nubia's contributions to the ancient world.