Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Nubian pyramids
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
== Burial methods and architecture == Egyptian burial methods began to adapt in Nubia during Egyptian occupation of Nubia during the New Kingdom period. The Nubian pyramids were constructed using a combination of granite and sandstone and are closely arranged in clusters, such that a selection of two pyramids may lie within touching distance of one another. One of the tools used was [[Shadoof|shadoof counterbalanced lever hoist]], of which the central pivot poles were left buried in the center of the pyramid and covered by their respective cap stones.<ref name=":2" /> The interior chambers were lined with plaster and decorated with scenes from the life of the deceased. The largest pyramid at [[Meroë]] is {{convert|30|m}} high and is thought to have been built for the Nubian queen [[Amanishakheto]].{{cn|date=December 2024}} The Nubian pyramids emulated a form of Egyptian private elite family pyramid that were common during the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] in Egypt.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kolb |first=Michael J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=26y8DwAAQBAJ&q=%22These+family+or%22+%22pyramids+were+common+during+the+New+Kingdom%22&pg=SA2-PA21 |title=Making Sense of Monuments: Narratives of Time, Movement, and Scale |date=2019-11-06 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-76492-9 |language=en}}</ref> In the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, with the Nubian conquest of Egypt, Nubian burial customs began to shift back towards the pyramid in Napata. The more traditional tumulus made way for the pyramid amongst Nubian royalty, but the chapels and underground burial chambers remained from the previous time period. These pyramids were inspired by Egyptian private pyramids dating back to the New Kingdom. Indeed, some burial chambers were decorated in the manner of the private pyramid.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last1=Fisher |first1=Marjorie M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yNwPEQAAQBAJ&dq=nubia+pyramids&pg=PA145 |title=Ancient Nubia: African Kingdoms on the Nile |last2=Lacovara |first2=Peter |last3=Ikram |first3=Salima |last4=D'Auria |first4=Sue |date=2012-09-06 |publisher=American University in Cairo Press |isbn=978-1-64903-397-0 |pages=145–153 |language=en}}</ref> The tombs inside the pyramids of Nubia were plundered in ancient times. Wall [[relief]]s preserved in the tomb chapels reveal that their royal occupants were [[Mummy|mummified]], covered with jewellery and laid to rest in wooden mummy cases. At the time of their exploration by archaeologists in the 19th and 20th centuries, some pyramids were found to contain the remains of bows, quivers of arrows, archers' [[thumb ring]]s, horse harnesses, wooden boxes, furniture, pottery, colored glass, metal vessels, and many other artifacts attesting to extensive Meroitic trade with Egypt and the [[Ancient Greece|Hellenistic world]]. A pyramid excavated at [[Meroë]] included hundreds of heavy items such as large blocks decorated with rock art and 390 stones that comprised the pyramid. A cow buried complete with eye ointment was also unearthed in the area to be flooded by the [[Merowe Dam|Meroë Dam]], as were [[ringing rocks]] that were tapped to create a melodic sound.<ref>{{cite news |last=Adams |first=Stephen |date=16 October 2008 |title=Ancient Egypt had powerful Sudan rival, British Museum dig shows |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/sudan/3209644/Ancient-Egypt-had-powerful-Sudan-rival-British-Museum-dig-shows.html |publisher=The Telegraph}}</ref> It is important to note that the pyramids of royalty and the wealthy differed significantly in various architectural aspects.<ref name="quarries"/>
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)