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---
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title: "The Archers of Kerma: Warrior Image and Birth of a State"
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authors: ["matthieuhonegger.md"]
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abstract: "A research programme conducted by the Swiss archaeological mission in
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the oldest sectors of the Eastern Cemetery of Kerma has uncovered
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several dozen archers' tombs. The appearance of these armed warriors
|
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dating from ca. 2300 BC onwards can be put in parallel with the
|
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resumption of commercial activities between Egypt and Nubia, illustrated
|
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by the Harkhuf expeditions. The archers and their warrior attributes
|
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probably participate in the emergence of kingship ca. 2000 BC, which
|
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takes control of the commercial axis along the Nile and is illustrated
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by the accumulation of wealth and the development of servitude. This
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article proposes to describe these Kerma archers, and then to look at
|
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the evolution of funerary rites that show in their own way how a social
|
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hierarchy emerges that will lead to the birth of a state, in this
|
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instance the kingdom of Kerma."
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keywords: []
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---
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# Introduction
|
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|
||||
It is known that at the time of the Egyptian Kingdom, Nubia represented
|
||||
a neighbouring and often rival entity, extending from the 1^st^ to the
|
||||
5^th^ cataract. Its renowned warriors are represented by archers and are
|
||||
depicted on numerous occasions in the Nile valley, on stelae or engraved
|
||||
rocks, on bas-reliefs or painted tomb walls. As early as the Old
|
||||
Kingdom, they were enrolled in the Egyptian armies as mercenaries and
|
||||
probably formed troops, as shown in the model representing them in the
|
||||
tomb of Prince Mesheti (11^th^ Dynasty). The territory of Nubia is
|
||||
itself designated from the beginning of the 3^rd^ millennium by a
|
||||
hieroglyph in the shape of a bow, *Ta-Sety*, which means the land of the
|
||||
bow. Despite this evidence of the importance of these warriors and their
|
||||
weapons, archaeological finds of Nubian archers\' tombs contemporary
|
||||
with the Egyptian Kingdom are anecdotal. Only a few tombs from the Kerma
|
||||
period (2550-1480 BC) have been reported by Charles Bonnet in his
|
||||
excavation reports on the Eastern Cemetery of Kerma.[^1] His most
|
||||
important discovery consists of an almost intact tomb of an naturally
|
||||
mummified archer (Fig. 1). Also dating from the *Kerma ancien II* phase
|
||||
(2300-2150 BC), this grave contained the body of a young man, whose head
|
||||
had been displaced by grave-robbers.[^2] He was accompanied by arrow
|
||||
remains and two bows of simple curvature, 120 cm long. One of the bows
|
||||
was decorated with a plume of ostrich feathers.
|
||||
|
||||
The Eastern Cemetery of the Kingdom of Kerma[^3] is known for the
|
||||
abundance of weapons found in its tombs[^4] as well as for the numerous
|
||||
traumas present on its skeletonsy.[^5] These observations led to the
|
||||
view of this society as a warlike aristocracy, where testimonies of
|
||||
violence were common. These reflections have so far focused on the final
|
||||
phase of the cemetery and of the Kingdom (1750-1500 BC), best known
|
||||
thanks to the work of George A. Reisner, undertaken at the beginning of
|
||||
the 20^th^ century.[^6] Since then, excavations were undertaken between
|
||||
1979 and 1999 by Charles Bonnet, who investigated 27 sectors spread over
|
||||
its entire surface (Fig. 2), and between 2008 and 2018, we have
|
||||
undertaken systematic excavations in sectors of the early stages of the
|
||||
cemetery (2550-1950 BC), that correspond to the formation of the Kingdom
|
||||
of Kerma.[^7] They provide previously unpublished information on the
|
||||
appearance of the first warriors in the form of the famous Nubian
|
||||
archers, on cases of violence, as well as on the phenomena of servitude,
|
||||
wealth, and funerary ostentation that was co-eval with the birth of the
|
||||
kingdom and its domination over a large part of Upper Nubia.
|
||||
|
||||
**The Eastern Cemetery of Kerma and its new excavation**
|
||||
|
||||
As part of our programme on the evolution of society in Early Kerma, we
|
||||
have reinvestigated and completed the excavations of Sectors 23, 27, and
|
||||
8, and have opened Sectors 28, 29, 30, and 31 (Fig. 3). The tombs have
|
||||
been systematically excavated, taking into account information on the
|
||||
surface (burial mounds, ceramic deposits, bucrania, fireplaces, and post
|
||||
holes) and collecting the material contained in the tombs and infill of
|
||||
the pits. Knowing that more than 99% of the graves dating from this
|
||||
period of the necropolis\'s utilisation were subsequently looted, the
|
||||
infill of the pits is often the only way to get an idea of the contents
|
||||
of the tomb and of the ceramics placed on the surface beside the mound.
|
||||
|
||||
The work undertaken in recent years has made it possible to build a
|
||||
precise chronology for the early phases of the cemetery, from the
|
||||
beginning of Early Kerma to the beginning of Middle Kerma. The study and
|
||||
spatial distribution of the 409 tombs excavated since 2008 allows us to
|
||||
follow in detail each stage from the evolution of funeral rites. An
|
||||
absolute chronology was constructed using 23 14C dates that were
|
||||
confronted with the typology of Kerma pottery and Egyptian imports, and
|
||||
this makes it possible to distinguish five successive phases between
|
||||
2550 and 1950 BC: *Kerma ancien 0, I, II, III,* and *Kerma moyen I*
|
||||
(Fig. 3).[^8] We thus have a relatively precise chronological framework
|
||||
which highlights five distinct phases of relatively short duration from
|
||||
the beginning of Early Kerma to the Middle Kerma. Regarding the spatial
|
||||
analysis, the first observable tendency during this evolution appears to
|
||||
be the progressive increase in the size of the graves' pits. These are
|
||||
small and rectangular during *Kerma ancien 0* (average surface of 0.9
|
||||
m^2^), becoming oval and only marginally larger during *Kerma ancien I*
|
||||
(average surface of 1.2 m^2^). It is only from *Kerma ancien II* that
|
||||
they mostly become larger and more circular (average surface of 4.2
|
||||
m^2^), with this tendency continuing in *Kerma ancien III*, with the
|
||||
larger pits attaining a diameter exceeding 4 metres, occasionally more
|
||||
quadrangular than circular (average surface of 5 m^2^). Then, in *Kerma
|
||||
moyen I* appeared the first royal graves with a diameter ranging between
|
||||
7 to 10 metres.
|
||||
|
||||
In the oldest sectors (*Kerma ancien 0* and *I*), the tombs are all of
|
||||
equal size and their contents do not give the image of strong social
|
||||
distinction. As is the rule in the Kerma period, the bodies are laid on
|
||||
their right side, head towards the east. The objects found in the tombs
|
||||
are not very abundant, metal (gold, copper alloy) is very rare. As
|
||||
regards pottery, there is a marked presence of C-Group pots, which will
|
||||
become more discrete over time.[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
The *Kerma ancien II* phase shows spectacular changes in the funerary
|
||||
rites, compared to the earlier phases in the cemetery. The tombs are
|
||||
generally larger and contain more objects. Metal is more regularly
|
||||
attested, notably in the form of bronze mirrors and gold necklaces or
|
||||
pendants. Animal sacrifices make their appearance (dogs, caprines) as
|
||||
well as bucrania in front of some tumuli. Tombs with multiple burials
|
||||
are also more frequent, indicating the development of accompanying or
|
||||
sacrificed people, which will increase significantly in the succeeding
|
||||
periods. The distinction between male and female graves becomes
|
||||
systematic and stereotyped (Fig. 4). If the buried women are
|
||||
systematically endowed with a stick, an ornament, and sometimes
|
||||
particular objects or tools such as potter\'s tools, the male tombs are
|
||||
systematically endowed with a bow.[^10]
|
||||
|
||||
During the *Kerma ancien III* phase, the same tendencies identified in
|
||||
the previous phase continued. In the sectors of this period, we noticed
|
||||
that young boys\' graves were also accompanied by bows (Fig. 5). The
|
||||
four youngest individuals with a bow are less than 4 years old, and the
|
||||
one in Figure 5 has a bow that is too large for his size. This
|
||||
observation and their age -- less than two years for two of them --
|
||||
shows that these bows are not necessarily placed in tombs to express the
|
||||
activity of the deceased, but also have a symbolic connotation related
|
||||
to male status. The richest graves sometimes distinguish themselves in a
|
||||
more spectacular manner. One of them had 50 aligned bucrania to the
|
||||
south and 38 decorated pots on the surface. It is at the beginning of
|
||||
Middle Kerma (*Kerma moyen I*) that the first royal graves appeared,
|
||||
like that recently discovered in Sector 31, whose diameter exceeds 10
|
||||
metres, and which has over 1400 bucrania laid out in front of the
|
||||
tumulus.[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
Differences between burials increase during Middle Kerma and, for this
|
||||
period, it is not rare to find grave-pits of up to 10-15 meters in
|
||||
diameter. This ranking between burials suggests a stratified society
|
||||
which would culminate at the end of the Kingdom of Kerma. The central
|
||||
inhumations in the largest tumuli are supposed to be the graves of the
|
||||
rulers, the other tumuli could belong to high status individuals or to
|
||||
free men and women.[^12] In certain instances, a mud-brick chapel was
|
||||
erected on the west side of the tumulus (Fig. 6).[^13]
|
||||
|
||||
During Classic Kerma, the diameter of the largest graves is between 30
|
||||
and 90 meters in diameter. The three most famous ones were built to a
|
||||
uniform size with tumuli approximately 90 meters in diameter (KIII, IV,
|
||||
X). Composed of a complex internal structure of mud-brick walls with a
|
||||
corridor giving access to a central vaulted chamber, they are assumed to
|
||||
belong to the most powerful rulers of Kerma[^14] (Kendall 1997). The
|
||||
grave goods found in these burials and in some subsidiary ones were
|
||||
particularly elaborate and the proportion of Egyptian imports high.[^15]
|
||||
Two monumental funerary temples (KI, KXI) were erected north-west of the
|
||||
tumuli KIII and KX. The Eastern Cemetery was abandoned as a location for
|
||||
royal burials during the conquest of Kush by the Egyptians of the 18th
|
||||
Dynasty, about 1500 BC. A last royal grave was erected 4 km to the west,
|
||||
south of the ancient town of Kerma, and dates about 1480 BC.[^16]
|
||||
|
||||
# The archers' graves
|
||||
|
||||
From the *Kerma ancien II* to the *Kerma moyen I* phases onwards (Fig.
|
||||
3), all male tombs that we excavated between 2008 and 2018 are equipped
|
||||
with a bow, even those of children.[^17] Of course, many graves are too
|
||||
looted to conclude that archery equipment was present, but as soon as
|
||||
the grave is better preserved, the presence of archery elements is
|
||||
attested, the smallest clue being the presence of the string made of
|
||||
twisted sinews, probably from sheep or goats (Fig. 7). In view of the
|
||||
number of graves excavated, we can therefore suppose that the presence
|
||||
of men or boys with weapons is systematic for the earlier phases.
|
||||
However, it is not possible to conclude definitively that the presence
|
||||
of male archers was systematic for all phases of the Eastern Cemetery
|
||||
without looking at the previous excavations of Reisner and Bonnet.
|
||||
|
||||
The \"Cemetery North\", close to our excavations (2008-2018), was
|
||||
excavated in 1915 by Reisner, then in 1916 by his assistant W. G. Kemp
|
||||
(135 graves). The documentation[^18] published after the death of
|
||||
Reisner, is of lesser quality than for the southern part of the cemetery
|
||||
corresponding to Classic Kerma and excavated in 1913-1914.[^19] The
|
||||
tombs excavated by Kemp have not been spatially located. Nevertheless,
|
||||
we know from our excavations that the \"Cemetery North\" covers *Kerma
|
||||
ancien III* and *Kerma moyen I* phases. The documentation identifies the
|
||||
grave of a woman with a staff, but there is no evidence of bows. In view
|
||||
of the discreet nature of the evidence for archery, we believe that it
|
||||
has simply not been identified. It must be said that the tombs were
|
||||
systematically excavated by Egyptians from the village of Kouft,
|
||||
assisted by Nubians. It is therefore very likely that they simply did
|
||||
not observe these fleeting remains. In the "Cemetery M" (Middle Kerma,
|
||||
see fig. 3) which dates of Middle Kerma, the documentation, published
|
||||
with that of the "Cemetery N" is not better than this latter. No archer
|
||||
or bow was identified. It is only in Classic Kerma that this practice
|
||||
seems to disappear, according to Reisner's documentation,[^20] which is
|
||||
of much better quality than that published by Dunham.[^21] It must be
|
||||
said that this part of the cemetery is different from that of Early and
|
||||
Middle Kerma. Our demographic estimate for the Eastern Cemetery
|
||||
concludes that there were at least 36,000 individuals buried, but the
|
||||
part attributed to Classic Kerma yields only 700. Simulations of burial
|
||||
recruitment show that this part of the cemetery is the most selective
|
||||
and contains only a small section of the ruling class, in contrast to
|
||||
earlier periods. At this time, the armed persons are accompanied by
|
||||
daggers, which led Hafsaas[^22] to conclude that there was a warrior
|
||||
elite displaying this type of weapon, as was the case in Europe in the
|
||||
Late Bronze and Iron Ages.
|
||||
|
||||
In the excavations of Bonnet, which involved just over 250 tombs, a few
|
||||
archers were identified. Again, the excavations were carried out almost
|
||||
systematically by Nubian excavators who were not trained to find small
|
||||
remains as bow stings. Nevertheless, Bonnet reports the presence of some
|
||||
archers in Early Kerma sectors, as well as in Middle Kerma sectors. The
|
||||
famous mummy of an archer (Fig. 1) comes from Sector 4[^23] (*Kerma
|
||||
ancien II*) and five other graves of archers were excavated in Sector 23
|
||||
(Kerma (*Kerma ancien II*).[^24] For Middle Kerma, two graves of archers
|
||||
were discovered in Sector 9 and one in Sector 11 (*Kerma moyen I*), as
|
||||
well as another in sector 20 (*Kerma moyen IV*).[^25] Finally, we had
|
||||
the opportunity to excavate a grave in sector 24 (*Kerma moyen V*) which
|
||||
contained 36 lunates corresponding to arrowheads.[^26] From all these
|
||||
observations, we can assume that the tradition of male burials as
|
||||
archers started in the *Kerma ancien II* phase and must have continued
|
||||
until the end of Middle Kerma.[^27]
|
||||
|
||||
Let us return to the archers\' graves of the oldest sectors.[^28] Their
|
||||
equipment consists of:
|
||||
|
||||
\- One or two bows, single or double-curved (Fig. 8). It seems to us
|
||||
that not too much should be made of this distinction, because the double
|
||||
curvature can be achieved by deformation. It does not necessarily
|
||||
suggest a composite bow, attested in Egypt later and supposedly
|
||||
introduced by the Hyksos.[^29] The bow with a double curvature does not
|
||||
necessarily imply that it is composite, which is a far more
|
||||
sophisticated manufacturing technique, since it is not attested in
|
||||
Africa at this time. On the other hand, ethnographic material describes
|
||||
simple techniques to obtain a strong incurvation of the extremities of
|
||||
the bow, which consist in bending the wood by means of ligaments and
|
||||
forms.[^30] It is probably the use of similar techniques which explain
|
||||
the well-attested differences in the Nubian bows. The most common
|
||||
dimension is 120 cm, but two larger bows, about 150 cm long, have been
|
||||
found. In a child's tomb, a small model, about 90 cm long, was
|
||||
discovered. The remains of bow-strings have often been found in situ
|
||||
alongside the bow. In some instances, the extent of the bow's curvature
|
||||
leads one to believe that it was strung when placed in the tomb. The bow
|
||||
is always placed to the north of the body, close to the hands. It is
|
||||
occasionally decorated with a plume of ostrich feathers at its extremity
|
||||
(Fig. 9). It has not been possible to identify the species of wood used
|
||||
to manufacture the bows, since these had been too severely damaged by
|
||||
termites.
|
||||
|
||||
\- Reed arrows with a tail and several embedded microliths, are similar
|
||||
to the arrows of Naga-ed-Der in Egypt, dated to the 6^th^ to 12^th^
|
||||
Dynasty, i.e., a period contemporaneous with Middle Kerma.[^31] The
|
||||
arrowheads are lunates made of quartz, carnelian, or sometimes flint
|
||||
(Fig. 10). The few surviving examples correspond to the A3 type of
|
||||
fitting defined by Clark et al.,[^32] with one placed at the tip of the
|
||||
arrow and the other two at the sides. The arrows would have been
|
||||
inserted in a quiver, but in at least one instance they were placed
|
||||
directly in the archer\'s left hand.
|
||||
|
||||
\- A goat-skin leather quiver. Its presence in the tombs is not
|
||||
systematic, but we have been able to identify seven more or less
|
||||
complete ones. They are sewn, some wide and rather short, while others
|
||||
are slenderer, like the example in Figure 11.
|
||||
|
||||
\- A leather archer\'s wrist-guard of a specific model that seems to be
|
||||
typical of the Kerma tradition (Fig. 12). These have been found in a few
|
||||
cases *in situ*, on the left wrist of the deceased (Fig. 13), they are
|
||||
always of the same design, with the protective part provided with two
|
||||
concave sides and a pointed end. Some similar specimens are known in
|
||||
Egypt in the mass grave of soldiers found at Deir el-Bahari of the 12th
|
||||
Dynasty.[^33] This type of wrist-guard is unusual in Egypt and some
|
||||
authors considered it to have come from the north, but it probably
|
||||
belongs to Nubian archers originally attached to the Kerma culture.[^34]
|
||||
|
||||
These observations will be the subject of more detailed descriptions in
|
||||
the future, especially the numerous leather objects, which are the
|
||||
subject of a recently started PhD thesis.[^35] Of all the tombs
|
||||
excavated, only two adult tombs were almost (Fig. 1) or completely
|
||||
intact (Fig. 13). Enriched by the observations made on the other male
|
||||
tombs, it is possible to reconstruct the appearance of these archers,
|
||||
who resemble quite closely the representations made by the Egyptians,
|
||||
notably those on the temple of Amun at Beit El-Wali, which describe the
|
||||
expedition of Rameses II in Nubia (Fig. 14). Although later than the
|
||||
tombs where we made our observations, the white earrings of the men
|
||||
depicted in these frescoes are the same as those that first appear in
|
||||
the *Kerma ancien II* phase and continue thereafter. In fact, these
|
||||
earrings obtained from a Nile shell were found only in male tombs (Fig.
|
||||
15). Similarly, the men of Kerma wear a sheep-skin loincloth that still
|
||||
has its wool, which can be dark brown, beige, or quite frequently
|
||||
bicoloured, with alternating black and beige spots (Fig. 16). This
|
||||
bicoloured fur, which bears witness to a selection process resulting
|
||||
from advanced domestication,[^36] could be a form of imitation of the
|
||||
coat of leopards, such as those found on Egyptian frescoes. However, we
|
||||
never found a leopard-skin loincloth during our excavations in the
|
||||
Eastern Cemetery. Moreover, we cannot exclude that some archers were
|
||||
naked and did not wear a loincloth, as suggested by an engraving from
|
||||
Wadi Sabu at the 3^rd^ cataract (Fig. 17), where a series of six archers
|
||||
wearing a feather on their head, are rendered in a figurative style very
|
||||
close to that observed at Kerma;[^37] among this group, only one archer
|
||||
is wearing a loincloth, while the others are naked. Finally, we did not
|
||||
have occasion to observe the presence of a feather belonging to the
|
||||
headdress of the buried, but Bonnet points out the trace of a headband
|
||||
in the tomb of a mummified archer (Fig. 1) that could have served to
|
||||
attach a feather.[^38]
|
||||
|
||||
# Evolution of funeral rites and the emergence of a state
|
||||
|
||||
At Kerma, men and boys of all ages are systematically buried with their
|
||||
archers\' equipment from about 2300 BC onwards, and continues for
|
||||
several centuries, probably until the end of the Middle Kerma about 1750
|
||||
BC. Clearly, there is a symbolic dimension to this display, underscored
|
||||
by the fact that even children as young as 1.5 years old are equipped
|
||||
with bows. Moreover, researchers have repeatedly pointed out that there
|
||||
are numerous instances of evidence for violence in the Classic Kerma
|
||||
part of the cemetery,[^39] and the anthropologist working on the
|
||||
skeletons of Early Kerma has also noted the abundance of such evidence,
|
||||
especially on young men.[^40] It must therefore be admitted that the
|
||||
presence of archers cannot only be symbolic and that it also reflects
|
||||
the status of these warriors, who were perhaps trained in the handling
|
||||
of the bow from a very young age. As reported by the Egyptians, this
|
||||
weapon was of major importance in Nubia and at the time of Early Kerma,
|
||||
the hundreds of excavated tombs did not reveal many other kinds of
|
||||
weapons. Mace heads are exceptional in this period, and we found only
|
||||
one in 409 excavated tombs. The spears must have been made of wood or
|
||||
composite material. We found a long point manufactured from a mammal
|
||||
long bone that could have been the apex of a spear. As for copper alloy
|
||||
daggers, they only appear at the end of Early Kerma and become more
|
||||
numerous during Middle Kerma, becoming more elongated, to finally be
|
||||
replaced by the daggers of Classic Kerma. We can also point out the
|
||||
wooden throwing sticks or the several bronze spearheads, but the aim is
|
||||
not to draw up a complete inventory of weapons, an exercise that has
|
||||
already been done for weapons in this necropolis.[^41]
|
||||
|
||||
If we have already underlined that it is from the *Kerma ancien II*
|
||||
phase (2300-2150 BC) that the distinctions between the tombs begin to be
|
||||
marked, this tendency will be reinforced thereafter to culminate with
|
||||
the appearance of the first royal tombs of the *Kerma moyen I* phase
|
||||
(2050-1950 BC). These tombs, unfortunately looted, are notable for their
|
||||
size (7 to 10 m in diameter for the pit, 12 to 15 m for the tumulus),
|
||||
for the hundreds or even thousands of bucrania deposited to the south of
|
||||
the tumulus, but also for the quantity of fine ceramics laid out inside
|
||||
the pit and around the tumulus. Other criteria, such as the animal and
|
||||
human sacrifices -- which some prefer to call accompanying deaths --
|
||||
also underline the status of the individuals, insofar as their number is
|
||||
proportional to the dimensions of the grave. Finally, the quantity of
|
||||
Egyptian ceramics gives an idea of the intensity of the exchanges (Fig.
|
||||
18).
|
||||
|
||||
During the first phase of Eastern Cemetery, exchanges with Egypt are
|
||||
already significant, and it is possible that the presence of several
|
||||
C-Group features is evidence of important contacts between Upper and
|
||||
Lower Nubia.[^42] During the next phase, exchanges decline, a sign of a
|
||||
certain loss of Egyptian control over Lower Nubia, as has already been
|
||||
pointed out.[^43] It is during the *Kerma ancien II* phase (2300-2150
|
||||
BC) that imports increase again. It is also from this time onwards that
|
||||
the archers\' tombs appear, that the distinctions between the tombs
|
||||
start to be significant, and that the wealth becomes more important,
|
||||
notably through the presence of Egyptian copper alloy mirrors which will
|
||||
attract the interest of the looters.
|
||||
|
||||
It is precisely during this phase that Egyptian sources mention the
|
||||
famous expeditions of Harkhuf,[^44] a high dignitary of Aswan. His tomb,
|
||||
covered with inscriptions, relates the story of his three journeys to
|
||||
Nubia commissioned by the pharaohs Merenre I and Pepi II, around 2250
|
||||
BC. These were obviously expeditions aimed at reopening trade routes by
|
||||
making contact and trading with the Nubian populations located south of
|
||||
the 2^nd^ cataract[^45]. The narrative tells us that several populations
|
||||
or tribes populate Nubia and do not necessarily maintain peaceful
|
||||
relations between them[^46]. These groups are already hierarchical with
|
||||
dominant personalities capable of gathering armed men in quantity,
|
||||
goods, and donkeys by the dozen, to accompany Harkhuf and his escort. It
|
||||
is likely that Kerma then developed a coercive policy to ensure the
|
||||
control of the lucrative trade with the Egyptians, in an atmosphere of
|
||||
conflicts between tribes or lineages. The valorisation of the role of
|
||||
warriors in funeral rites could be a consequence of this.
|
||||
|
||||
From this point onwards, the indications of a more marked social
|
||||
stratification increase rapidly with an increase in imports, in the
|
||||
number of human sacrifices, in the number of bucrania in front of the
|
||||
largest tombs, as well as in the number of red fine ware with black
|
||||
rims, whose decorations multiply (Fig. 18). One can imagine a
|
||||
competition between dominant lineages, as we have suggested in an
|
||||
analysis of the significance of fine ceramics and their
|
||||
decorations[^47]. This competition will lead to the emergence of a
|
||||
dominant lineage that will concentrate the wealth and show it in the
|
||||
funeral rites, as exemplified by the first royal tombs, which appear
|
||||
around 2000 BC (Fig. 19). It is from this period onwards that the
|
||||
necropolis will undergo a spectacular development, much more important
|
||||
demographically than natural population growth could allow. Kerma must
|
||||
therefore have been the centre of the kingdom from this period onwards
|
||||
and attracted populations from its kingdom to settle in the region.
|
||||
|
||||
# Bibliography
|
||||
|
||||
[Bonnet]{.smallcaps}, Charles. "Rapport préliminaire sur les campagnes
|
||||
de 1980-1981 et 1981-1982", in: Bonnet, C. & collab. Les fouilles
|
||||
archéologiques de Kerma (Soudan), *Genava, n.s.,* 30 (1982): pp. 1-25.
|
||||
|
||||
[Bonnet]{.smallcaps}, Charles. "Rapport préliminaire sur les campagnes
|
||||
de 1982-1983 et 1983-1984", in: Bonnet, C. & collab. Les fouilles
|
||||
archéologiques de Kerma (Soudan), *Genava, n.s.,* 32 (1984): pp. 5-42.
|
||||
|
||||
[Bonnet]{.smallcaps}, Charles. "Rapport préliminaire sur les campagnes
|
||||
de 1984-1985 et 1985-1986", in: Bonnet, C. & collab. Les fouilles
|
||||
archéologiques de Kerma (Soudan), *Genava, n.s.,* 34 (1986): pp. 5-20.
|
||||
|
||||
[Bonnet]{.smallcaps}, Charles. "Rapport préliminaire sur les campagnes
|
||||
de 1993-1994 et 1994-1995", in: Bonnet, C. & collab. Les fouilles
|
||||
archéologiques de Kerma (Soudan), *Genava, n.s.,* 43 (1995): pp. 31-64.
|
||||
|
||||
[Bonnet]{.smallcaps}, Charles. *Edifices et rites funéraires à Kerma*.
|
||||
Errance. Paris, 2000.
|
||||
|
||||
[Bonnet]{.smallcaps}, Charles., [Honegger]{.smallcaps}, Matthieu. "The
|
||||
Eastern Cemetery of Kerma", in Emberling, G., Williams, B. (eds.). *The
|
||||
Oxford Handbook of Ancient Nubia* (2020): pp. 213-226.
|
||||
|
||||
[Clark]{.smallcaps}, John. D, [Phillips]{.smallcaps}, James L.,
|
||||
[Staley,]{.smallcaps} Preston S. "Interpretations of prehistoric
|
||||
technology from ancient egyptian and other sources, part 1: ancient
|
||||
egyptian bows and arrows and their relevance for prehistory".
|
||||
*Paleorient*, 2, 2 (1974): pp. 323-388.
|
||||
|
||||
[Dunham]{.smallcaps}, Dows. *Excavations at Kerma. Part VI: subsidiary
|
||||
nubian graves, excavated by the late George A. Reisner in 1915-1916, not
|
||||
included in his Excavations at Kerma, I-III and IV-V, published by him
|
||||
in the Harvard African Studies, V and VI, 1923*. Boston: Museum of Fine
|
||||
Arts, 1982.
|
||||
|
||||
[Gratien, B]{.smallcaps}rigitte. *Les cultures Kerma. Essai de
|
||||
classification*. Université de Lille III, 1978.
|
||||
|
||||
[Hafsaas-Tsakos]{.smallcaps}, Henriette. "Edges of bronze and
|
||||
expressions of masculinity: the emergence of a warrior class at Kerma in
|
||||
Sudan", *Antiquity* 87 (2013): pp. 79-91.
|
||||
|
||||
[Honegger]{.smallcaps}, Matthieu. "Lunate microliths in the Holocene
|
||||
industries of Nubia: Multifunctional tools, sickle blades or weapon
|
||||
elements?". In: Pétillon J.-M. *et al.* (coord.). Projectile weapon
|
||||
elements from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Neolithic (Proceeding of the
|
||||
session C83 of the 15^th^ Congress of the IUPPS, Lisbon, 4-9 September
|
||||
2006), *Palethnologie*, 1 (2009): pp.161-173.
|
||||
|
||||
[Honegger]{.smallcaps}, Matthieu. "La plus ancienne tombe royale de
|
||||
Kerma en Nubie", *Bull. Soc. Neuchâtel. Sci. Nat.* 138 (2018): pp.
|
||||
185-198.
|
||||
|
||||
[Honegger]{.smallcaps}, Matthieu. "New Data on the Origins of Kerma".
|
||||
In: Honegger, M. (ed.), *Nubian Archaeology in the XXIst Century,
|
||||
proceedings of the 13th International Conference of the Society for
|
||||
Nubian Studies (Neuchâtel, 2014)*. Leuwen (2018): pp. 19-34.
|
||||
|
||||
[Honegger]{.smallcaps}, Matthieu. "The Eastern Cemetery of Kerma and its
|
||||
first Royal Grave", Kerma, document de la mission archéologique Suisse
|
||||
au Soudan, 8 (2019): pp. 6-19.
|
||||
|
||||
[Honegger]{.smallcaps}, Matthieu. "Style and identity symbols: an
|
||||
attempt to define the social meaning of the Kerma funerary fineware and
|
||||
its decorations", in Rondot, V. et al. (eds.) Etudes Nubiennes 2018,
|
||||
Louvre Museum, 10-15 sept. 2018, forthcoming.
|
||||
|
||||
[Honegger]{.smallcaps}, Matthieu, [Fallet]{.smallcaps}, Camille.
|
||||
"Archers Tombs of the Kerma ancien", *Kerma, document de la mission
|
||||
archéologique Suisse au Soudan* 6 (2015) : pp. 16-30.
|
||||
|
||||
[Judd]{.smallcaps}, Margaret. "Ancient Injury Recidivism: An Example
|
||||
from the Kerma Period of Ancient Nubia", *International Journal of
|
||||
Osteoarchaeology* 12 (2002): pp. 89--102.
|
||||
|
||||
[Kendall]{.smallcaps}, Timothy. *Kerma and the Kingdom of Kush 2500-1500
|
||||
B.C. The Archaeological Discovery of an Ancient Nubian Empire*. National
|
||||
Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1977.
|
||||
|
||||
[Lacovara]{.smallcaps}, Peter. "The Stone Vase Deposit at Kerma". In:
|
||||
Davies, W.V. (ed.). *Egypt and Africa, Nubia from Prehistory to Islam*,
|
||||
London: British Museum Press (1991): pp. 118-128.
|
||||
|
||||
[Le Quellec]{.smallcaps}, Jean-Loïc. "Arcs et archers sahariens: les
|
||||
représentations d'archers dans l'art rupestre du Sahara central", *Tir à
|
||||
l'arc Magazine*, 25 (2014) : pp. 60-63.
|
||||
|
||||
[Le Quellec]{.smallcaps}, Jean-Loïc. "Arcs et bracelets d'archers au
|
||||
Sahara et en Égypte, avec une nouvelle proposition de lecture des
|
||||
'nasses' sahariennes", *Cahiers de l'ARRS*, 15 (2011) : pp. 201-220.
|
||||
|
||||
[Manzo]{.smallcaps}, Andrea. "Weapons, ideology and identity at Kerma
|
||||
(Upper Nubia, 2500-1500 BC)", *Annali, sezione orientale* 76 (2016): pp.
|
||||
3-29.
|
||||
|
||||
[Minor]{.smallcaps}, Elizabeth. *The Use of Egyptian and Egyptianizing
|
||||
Material Culture in Nubian Burials of the Classic Kerma Period*. Ph.D.
|
||||
dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 2012:
|
||||
<https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0nn0m0fv>.
|
||||
|
||||
[Müller]{.smallcaps}, Hans W. *Der \'Armreif\' des Konigs Ahmose und der
|
||||
Handgelenkschutz des Bogenschützen im alten Ägypten und Vorderasien.*
|
||||
SDAIK, 25. Mainz, 1989.
|
||||
|
||||
[Obsomer,]{.smallcaps} Claude. "Les expéditions d'Herkhouf (VIe
|
||||
dynastie) et la localisation de Iam". In: Bruwier, M.-C. (ed.).
|
||||
*Pharaons Noirs: Sur la piste des 40 jours*. Musée Royal de Mariemont
|
||||
(2007): pp. 39-52.
|
||||
|
||||
[Reisner]{.smallcaps}, George A. *Excavations at Kerma. Harvard African
|
||||
Studies 5-6*. Peabody Museum of Harvard University, 1923.
|
||||
|
||||
[Smith]{.smallcaps}, Stuart Tyson. "Nubia and Egypt: Interaction,
|
||||
acculturation, and secondary state formation from the third to first
|
||||
millennium BC", In: Cusick, James G. (ed.). *Studies in Culture Contact:
|
||||
Interaction, Culture Change, and Archaeology*. Southern Illinois
|
||||
University Press (1995): pp. 256-287.
|
||||
|
||||
[Testart]{.smallcaps}, Alain. *Éléments de classification des sociétés*.
|
||||
Errance. Paris, 2005.
|
||||
|
||||
[Török]{.smallcaps}, László. *Between Two Worlds: The Frontier Region
|
||||
between Ancient Nubia and Egypt 3700 BC - 500 AD*. Leiden, 2009.
|
||||
|
||||
[Vogel]{.smallcaps}, Carola. "Fallen Heroes?: Winlock\'s \'Slain
|
||||
Soldiers\' Reconsidered", *The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology*, 89
|
||||
(2003): pp. 239-245.
|
||||
|
||||
[Walsh]{.smallcaps}, Carl. "Techniques for Egyptian Eyes: Diplomacy and
|
||||
the Transmission of Cosmetic Practices between Egypt and Kerma", Journal
|
||||
of Egyptian History (2021): pp. 295-332.
|
||||
|
||||
[Winlock]{.smallcaps}, Herbert E. *The Slain Soldiers of
|
||||
Neb-hepet-Re\'-Mentu-entu-Hotpe*. Publications of the Metropolitan
|
||||
Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition, 16. New York, 1945.
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Bonnet, "Les fouilles archéologiques de Kerma (Soudan) ", 1982,
|
||||
pp. 15-19 ; 1984, p. 17 ; 1986, p. 12 ; 1995, p. 44.
|
||||
|
||||
[^2]: Bonnet, "Les fouilles archéologiques de Kerma (Soudan) ", 1982,
|
||||
pp. 15-19.
|
||||
|
||||
[^3]: Kerma is the name of the village next to the city of Kerma and its
|
||||
eastern cemetery. It gave its name to the culture of Kerma, defined
|
||||
by its ceramics and its funeral rites (see Gratien, *Les cultures
|
||||
Kerma. Essai de classification*). This culture is also referred to
|
||||
as the Kingdom of Kerma. In the context of anthropological theories
|
||||
on the evolution of societies, a kingdom can be equated with a state
|
||||
(see Testart, *éléments de classification des sociétés*). It can
|
||||
also be considered as a secondary state, insofar as it seems to
|
||||
emerge as a result of its contacts with the Egyptian state, which
|
||||
originated more than five centuries before (Smith, "Nubia and Egypt:
|
||||
Interaction, acculturation, and secondary state formation from the
|
||||
third to first millennium BC").
|
||||
|
||||
[^4]: Hafsaas-Tsakos, "Edges of bronze and expressions of masculinity:
|
||||
the emergence of a warrior class at Kerma in Sudan", pp. 79-91;
|
||||
Manzo, "Weapons, ideology and identity at Kerma (Upper Nubia,
|
||||
2500-1500 BC)", pp. 3-29.
|
||||
|
||||
[^5]: Judd, "Ancient Injury Recidivism: An Example from the Kerma Period
|
||||
of Ancient Nubia", pp. 89-102.
|
||||
|
||||
[^6]: Reisner, *Excavations at Kerma. Harvard African Studies 5-6*.
|
||||
|
||||
[^7]: This project was supported by the Swiss National Fund (SNF
|
||||
100011_163021/1), the State Secretariat for Education, Research and
|
||||
Innovation of the Swiss Confederation, the Kerma Foundation, and the
|
||||
University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). We also thank Dr Abdelrahman
|
||||
Ali, director of the National Corporation of Antiquities and Museums
|
||||
of Sudan (NCAM) for his support.
|
||||
|
||||
[^8]: Honegger, "La plus ancienne tombe royale de Kerma en Nubie", pp.
|
||||
189-194; Honegger, "New Data on the Origins of Kerma", pp. 21-24.
|
||||
|
||||
[^9]: Honegger, "New Data on the Origins of Kerma", pp. 25-28.
|
||||
|
||||
[^10]: Bonnet and Honegger, "The Eastern Cemetery of Kerma", pp.
|
||||
216-218.
|
||||
|
||||
[^11]: Honegger "La plus ancienne tombe royale de Kerma en Nubie", pp.
|
||||
194-197. See also the end of this paper and figure 15.
|
||||
|
||||
[^12]: Hafsaas-Tsakos, "Edges of bronze and expressions of masculinity:
|
||||
the emergence of a warrior class at Kerma in Sudan", pp. 79-91.
|
||||
|
||||
[^13]: Mud brick chapels were built in connection with the most
|
||||
important and largest graves, Bonnet, *Edifices et rites funéraires
|
||||
à Kerma*.
|
||||
|
||||
[^14]: Kendall, *Kerma and the Kingdom of Kush 2500-1500 B.C. The
|
||||
Archaeological Discovery of an Ancient Nubian Empire*.
|
||||
|
||||
[^15]: See Minor, The Use of Egyptian and Egyptianizing Material Culture
|
||||
in Nubian Burials of the Classic Kerma Period and Walsh, "Techniques
|
||||
for Egyptian Eyes: Diplomacy and the Transmission of Cosmetic
|
||||
Practices between Egypt and Kerma".
|
||||
|
||||
[^16]: Bonnet and Honegger, "The Eastern Cemetery of Kerma", pp.
|
||||
223-224.
|
||||
|
||||
[^17]: Sector 23 contained 122 individuals of which 90 were discovered
|
||||
by our team. Of these 90 individuals, 49 were mature (25 female and
|
||||
20 male), 37 immature and 4 undetermined. The total number of
|
||||
archers\' graves was 24, of which 15 were adult males, 3 were
|
||||
children under 10 years of age, 5 were between 10 and 19 years of
|
||||
age, and one grave did not yield enough human remains to determine
|
||||
age and sex. In the Sector 29 (*Kerma ancien III)*, 18 archers were
|
||||
identified on a total of 72 individuals. In the Sector 31 (*Kerma
|
||||
moyen I*), 8 archers were identified on a total of 20 individuals.
|
||||
The bio-anthropological data are provided by Agathe Chen, in charge
|
||||
of the study of the skeletons of the Eastern Cemetery.
|
||||
|
||||
[^18]: Dunham, *Excavations at Kerma. Part VI.*
|
||||
|
||||
[^19]: Reisner, *Excavations at Kerma.*
|
||||
|
||||
[^20]: Reisner, *Excavations at Kerma.*
|
||||
|
||||
[^21]: Dunham, *Excavations at Kerma. Part VI.*
|
||||
|
||||
[^22]: Hafsaas-Tsakos "Edges of bronze and expressions of masculinity:
|
||||
the emergence of a warrior class at Kerma in Sudan", pp. 79-91.
|
||||
|
||||
[^23]: Bonnet, "Les fouilles archéologiques de Kerma (Soudan) ", 1982,
|
||||
p. 15-19.
|
||||
|
||||
[^24]: They were excavated in January 1996 but remain unpublished.
|
||||
|
||||
[^25]: Bonnet, "Les fouilles archéologiques de Kerma (Soudan) ", 1986,
|
||||
p. 12 ; 1995, p. 44.
|
||||
|
||||
[^26]: Honegger, "Lunate microliths in the Holocene industries of Nubia:
|
||||
Multifunctional tools, sickle blades or weapon elements?", pp.
|
||||
169-171.
|
||||
|
||||
[^27]: The number of archers for Middle Kerma may seem low. However, it
|
||||
should be remembered that these tombs are often much more plundered
|
||||
than those of Early Kerma, and that we did not have the opportunity
|
||||
to excavate tombs later than Kerma moyen I during our programme
|
||||
conducted between 1998 and 2008.
|
||||
|
||||
[^28]: Honegger and Fallet, "Archers Tombs of the Kerma ancien", pp.
|
||||
16-30.
|
||||
|
||||
[^29]: Le Quellec "Arcs et archers sahariens: les représentations
|
||||
d'archers dans l'art rupestre du Sahara central", p. 62 ; Le Quellec
|
||||
"Arcs et bracelets d'archers au Sahara et en Égypte, avec une
|
||||
nouvelle proposition de lecture des 'nasses' sahariennes", pp.
|
||||
208-211.
|
||||
|
||||
[^30]: Ibid.
|
||||
|
||||
[^31]: Honegger, "Lunate microliths in the Holocene industries of Nubia:
|
||||
Multifunctional tools, sickle blades or weapon elements?", pp.
|
||||
169-171.
|
||||
|
||||
[^32]: Clark *et al*. "Interpretations of prehistoric technology from
|
||||
ancient Egyptian and other sources, part 1 : ancient Egyptian bows
|
||||
and arrows and their relevance for prehistory", fig. 9, p. 362.
|
||||
|
||||
[^33]: The significance of this find of 59 soldiers is still debated and
|
||||
authors have sought to link it to one of the many conflicts during
|
||||
the 12th Dynasty, Winlock, *Slain Soldiers.* For a discussion on the
|
||||
interpretations of this find, see Vogel "Fallen Heroes?: Winlock\'s
|
||||
\'Slain Soldiers\' Reconsidered".
|
||||
|
||||
[^34]: Müller describes 5 wrist-guards, all made of leather, similar in
|
||||
shape to those of Kerma. He also presents another similar example
|
||||
from Gebelin. *Der \'Armreif\' des Konigs Ahmose und der
|
||||
Handgelenkschutz des Bogenschützen im alten Ägypten und
|
||||
Vorderasien*, pp. 16-17 and pl. V.
|
||||
|
||||
[^35]: Théophile Burnat, "Manufacture et usages du cuir dans le royaume
|
||||
de Kerma (Soudan, IIIe et IIe millénaires av. n. è.) ", Université
|
||||
de Neuchâtel.
|
||||
|
||||
[^36]: Louis Chaix, pers. comm.
|
||||
|
||||
[^37]: Honegger and Fallet, "Archers Tombs of the Kerma ancien", p. 20.
|
||||
|
||||
[^38]: Bonnet, "Les fouilles archéologiques de Kerma (Soudan) ", 1982,
|
||||
p. 15.
|
||||
|
||||
[^39]: Cf. Judd, "Ancient Injury Recidivism: An Example from the Kerma
|
||||
Period of Ancient Nubia", pp. 89--102.
|
||||
|
||||
[^40]: Agathe Chen, pers. comm.
|
||||
|
||||
[^41]: Manzo, "Weapons, ideology and identity at Kerma (Upper Nubia,
|
||||
2500-1500 BC)", pp. 3-29.
|
||||
|
||||
[^42]: Honegger, "The Eastern Cemetery of Kerma and its first Royal
|
||||
Grave", pp. 6-19; Honegger, "La plus ancienne tombe royale de Kerma
|
||||
en Nubie", pp. 185-198.
|
||||
|
||||
[^43]: Török, *Between Two Worlds*, pp. 53-73.
|
||||
|
||||
[^44]: There is still some debate about the country of destination of
|
||||
these expeditions, called *Iam* by the Egyptians. Kerma is one of
|
||||
these possibilities, and one of the only ones that provides early
|
||||
evidence of contact with the Egyptians in Upper Nubia. Other
|
||||
scholars have proposed the Western Nubian Desert or a region further
|
||||
south, towards Kordofan and Darfur. For a summary and discussion of
|
||||
these different hypotheses, see Obsomer, "Les expéditions d'Herkhouf
|
||||
(VIe dynastie) et la localisation de Iam", pp. 39-52.
|
||||
|
||||
[^45]: Lacovara, "The Stone Vase Deposit at Kerma", pp. 118-128.
|
||||
|
||||
[^46]: Török, *Between Two Worlds*, pp. 69-70.
|
||||
|
||||
[^47]: Honegger, "Style and identity symbols: an attempt to define the
|
||||
social meaning of the Kerma funerary fineware and its decorations",
|
||||
forthcoming.
|
1002
content/article/tsakos.md
Normal file
1002
content/article/tsakos.md
Normal file
File diff suppressed because it is too large
Load diff
7
content/author/alexandrostsakos.md
Normal file
7
content/author/alexandrostsakos.md
Normal file
|
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: Alexandros Tsakos
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
# Biography
|
||||
|
||||
Bio.
|
7
content/author/matthieuhonegger.md
Normal file
7
content/author/matthieuhonegger.md
Normal file
|
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: Matthieu Honegger
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
# Biography
|
||||
|
||||
Bio.
|
|
@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "List of authors"
|
||||
title: "List of editors"
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
|
|
@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "Dotawo 8: War in the Sudan"
|
||||
editors: ["henriettehafsaas.md"]
|
||||
has_articles: ["matic.md"]
|
||||
has_articles: ["matic.md", "tsakos.md", "honegger.md"]
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
# Preface by the Editor
|
||||
|
|
7
content/issue/misc.md
Normal file
7
content/issue/misc.md
Normal file
|
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: "Miscellanea"
|
||||
editors: []
|
||||
has_articles: []
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Miscellanea blabla over time, issue will be released.
|
|
@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
title: Dotawo - A Journal of Nubian Studies
|
||||
has_issues: ["dotawo7.md", "dotawo8.md"]
|
||||
has_issues: ["dotawo7.md", "dotawo8.md", "misc.md"]
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
# About Dotawo
|
||||
|
|
Loading…
Add table
Reference in a new issue