Book Review: The Nubian Pharaohs: Black Kings on the Nile
Al Ahram Weekly (Jill Kamil)
Charles Bonnet and Dominique Valbelle, (2006) The Nubian Pharaohs: Black Kings on the Nile, The American University in Cairo Press, Cairo.
Al-Ahram Weekly reviews this well-illustrated publication written by archaeologist Charles Bonnet, former president of the International Nubiology Association, and Egyptologist Dominique Valbelle. It covers an important period of history that has so far been made known only in a fragmentary fashion and, in particular, describes the discovery of monumental black granite statues portraying the Pharaonic rulers of Egypt's 25th or "Nubian" Dynasty that lasted for 50 years from 720 to 671 BC.
The statues, one of the most important discoveries of recent years, were found by the University of Geneva's Mission Archeologique in 2003. The team working near the Third Cataract of the Nile at ancient Kerma (now known as Doukki Gel -- a Nubian term which can be roughly translated as "red mound"). Formerly known as the "Ethiopian" Pharaohs, these black rulers of Egypt are now generally known as "Kushites" from the area of modern-day Sudan which constitutes an important realm of Egyptology. . . .
Egyptology is constantly enriched as new evidence comes to light, and every discovery provides food for thought. In fact, the treasures found in the Kerma cache forced the discoverers to face questions that had been previously overlooked. The authors of The Nubian Pharaohs explore a new geographic realm in depth; they deal with issues that are far from resolved; and they describe the various ritual practices associated with the area.
Less a review than a description of the material covered, this article is a good summary of the Nubian data presented in the book
.
- Kerma - Mission Archéologique Suisse Au Soudan
Kerma.ch Thanks again to AWOL for the link above for updates to the Kerma.ch project. In the list of publications on the site many are in PDF format. Here's the site's summary of the project. Still today, Nubia is synonymous with a mysterious...
- Book Review: The Nubian Pharaohs
Bryn Mawr Classical Review Charles Bonnet, Dominique Valbelle, The Nubian Pharaohs: Black Kings of the Nile. Translated by Deke Dusinberre. Cairo and New York: The American University in Cairo Press, 2006. Reviewed by Anthony Spalinger, University...
- 11th International Conference Of Nubian Studies
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/818/he1.htm "Of more than 150 papers that researchers presented at the 11th International Conference of Nubian Studies, the largest group concerned recent studies with special emphasis on current rescue operations in the...
- Taharqa In The Sudan
Finally we have a picture of the massive statue of the Egyptian pharaoh Taharqa last pharaoh of Egypt's 25th Nubian dynasty. The striding statue of the king has been found far south of Egypt in the Sudan. Statues of two other Nubian kings were found...
- Black Pharaohs
This is the story of Egypt's remarkable reign of Nubian kings who ruled Egypt as its 25th dynasty. The traditional role for most of Egyptian history was the Nubian's were subjects of the Egyptian Pharaoh to the north but for about 50 years when...