Kerma
Encyclopedia
Kerma was the capital city of the Kingdom of Kerma
, which was located in present day Egypt
and Sudan
. The Kerma site has been confirmed by archaeology to be at least 9,500 years old. Around 3000 BC, a cultural tradition began around Kerma. Kerma was a large urban center that was built around a large mud brick temple, known as the Western Deffufa. Some unique aspects of this culture were beautiful pottery, the importance of cattle, a system of defense, and the King's audience chamber, which bears no resemblance to any Egyptian building (it was rebuilt 10 times). 'Kerma' is also used to describe the early Sudanese kingdom, of which Kerma was capital. This was one of the earliest African civilizations, commanding an empire that circa 1600 BCE rivalled Egypt (stretching from the First to Fourth Cataracts). Kerma was about 435 miles (700.1 km) away from Aswan
.
at a very early date, as witnessed by several Mesolithic
and Neolithic
sites. The earliest traces of a human presence in the region date back some tens of thousands of years. From 7500 BC onward the remains become more significant: semi-buried dwellings, various objects and tools, and graves. What’s clear is that Kerma’s civilisation emerged out of an ancient pastoral culture that had flourished in that part of Sudan since at least 7000 B.C. when the first settlements were established. Nearby Kerma archaeologists have discovered one of the two oldest cemeteries ever found in Africa – dating back to 7500 B.C. – and the oldest evidence of cattle domestication ever found in Sudan or, indeed, in the Egyptian Nile Valley. Around 3000 BC a town grew up not far from the Neolithic dwellings place.
In the past thirty years, archaeologist Charles Bonnet's systematic excavation of Nubian Kerma has presented a picture of a capital city in the third and second millennia BCE. The evolution of the residential area is highly complex, yet it is possible to identify social differences and a marked hierarchy. Furthermore, we might speculate about the general nature of this town, which seems to correspond above all to a protected zone reserved for an elite population. Whereas elsewhere in the kingdom we find towns that centralized agricultural products and villages that were situated alongside fields of crops, here in the capital we find spacious homes inhabited by dignitaries who monitored the trade in merchandise arriving from far-off lands, and who supervised shipments dispatched from administrative buildings.
Kerma had many distinctive features: two deffufa - solid mud-brick towers that seem to have been religious buildings; a large circular building believed to have been a royal audience hall; palace buildings; and cemeteries containing the huge circular tombs of Kerma's rulers. The latter sometimes contained hundreds of sacrificed cattle and human retinue. Studies suggest the victims were not poisoned or violently killed.
and special workshops for preparing offerings were built using trunks of acacia
trees and roofed with palm
fibers. These plant-based materials, once encased in hardened clay
, could be painted in lively colors. The round huts were usually made of wood and clay. This method of construction, inspired by traditions dating back to prehistory
, is still being used today.
Around 2200-2000 BCE, the builders began using unfired mud-bricks. Later, the use of fired brick
s constituted a significant change, because such material remained almost unknown elsewhere along the Nile Valley until the Late Period.
and Tanoutamon
. They were the last two pharaohs of the 'Nubian' Dynasty and their statues are described as "masterpieces that rank among the greatest statues in art history."
Kingdom of Kerma
The Kerma culture is a prehistoric culture which flourished from around 2500 BCE to about 1520 BCE in what is now Sudan, centered at Kerma.It emerged as a major centre during the Middle Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt....
, which was located in present day Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. The Kerma site has been confirmed by archaeology to be at least 9,500 years old. Around 3000 BC, a cultural tradition began around Kerma. Kerma was a large urban center that was built around a large mud brick temple, known as the Western Deffufa. Some unique aspects of this culture were beautiful pottery, the importance of cattle, a system of defense, and the King's audience chamber, which bears no resemblance to any Egyptian building (it was rebuilt 10 times). 'Kerma' is also used to describe the early Sudanese kingdom, of which Kerma was capital. This was one of the earliest African civilizations, commanding an empire that circa 1600 BCE rivalled Egypt (stretching from the First to Fourth Cataracts). Kerma was about 435 miles (700.1 km) away from Aswan
Aswan
Aswan , formerly spelled Assuan, is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate.It stands on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract and is a busy market and tourist centre...
.
Early settlement
Human populations settled in the Kerma BasinKerma Basin
The Kerma Basin is a low lying area by the Nile in Sudan. Located just below the Third Cataract it is the largest section of flood plain on the Donogola Reach. At maximum extent some 70,000 acres can be inundated by the annual Nile flood, but a more regular year sees only about half that. This...
at a very early date, as witnessed by several Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
and Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
sites. The earliest traces of a human presence in the region date back some tens of thousands of years. From 7500 BC onward the remains become more significant: semi-buried dwellings, various objects and tools, and graves. What’s clear is that Kerma’s civilisation emerged out of an ancient pastoral culture that had flourished in that part of Sudan since at least 7000 B.C. when the first settlements were established. Nearby Kerma archaeologists have discovered one of the two oldest cemeteries ever found in Africa – dating back to 7500 B.C. – and the oldest evidence of cattle domestication ever found in Sudan or, indeed, in the Egyptian Nile Valley. Around 3000 BC a town grew up not far from the Neolithic dwellings place.
The Nubian Town
Kerma had many distinctive features: two deffufa - solid mud-brick towers that seem to have been religious buildings; a large circular building believed to have been a royal audience hall; palace buildings; and cemeteries containing the huge circular tombs of Kerma's rulers. The latter sometimes contained hundreds of sacrificed cattle and human retinue. Studies suggest the victims were not poisoned or violently killed.
Building materials
In Old Kerma (2450-2050 BCE), religious buildingsNubian architecture
Nubian architecture is diverse and ancient. Permanent villages have been found in Nubia which date from 6000 BC. These villages were roughly contemporary with the walled town of Jericho in Palestine.-Early Period:...
and special workshops for preparing offerings were built using trunks of acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
trees and roofed with palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
fibers. These plant-based materials, once encased in hardened clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, could be painted in lively colors. The round huts were usually made of wood and clay. This method of construction, inspired by traditions dating back to prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
, is still being used today.
Around 2200-2000 BCE, the builders began using unfired mud-bricks. Later, the use of fired brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
s constituted a significant change, because such material remained almost unknown elsewhere along the Nile Valley until the Late Period.
Archaeological find
In 2003, Archaeologist Charles Bonnet and a team of Swiss archaeologists discovered a cache of monumental black granite Pharaonic statues while excavating near Kerma. The statues were Nubian Dynasty pharaohs, including TaharqaTaharqa
Taharqa was a pharaoh of the Ancient Egyptian 25th dynasty and king of the Kingdom of Kush, which was located in Northern Sudan.Taharqa was the son of Piye, the Nubian king of Napata who had first conquered Egypt. Taharqa was also the cousin and successor of Shebitku. The successful campaigns of...
and Tanoutamon
Tantamani
Tantamani or Tanwetamani or Tementhes was a Pharaoh of Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush located in Northern Sudan and a member of the Nubian or Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt...
. They were the last two pharaohs of the 'Nubian' Dynasty and their statues are described as "masterpieces that rank among the greatest statues in art history."
External links
- Kerma website Official website of the Swiss archeological mission to Sudan.
- http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/nubia/ckerma.html A University of Chicago team excavated extensively in Kerma. This is their site.