Aspelta

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Name of Aspelta
Throne name
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Mercars
in Egyptian hieroglyphics
Proper name
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Hiero Ca2.svg
Aspelta
in Egyptian hieroglyphics

Aspelta was a Nubian king of the Kushite Empire in the north of what is now Sudan , who lived at the beginning of the 6th century BC. Ruled.

Life

Aspelta was the son of Senkamanisk and Nasalsa . He was the successor to his brother Anlamani . His wife was Asata. Aspelta was a major builder. His monuments are attested from Kawa , Sanam and Mount Barkal . Numerous votive offerings with his name come from Meroe . Here he also built a temple (M 293). Other important monuments from his reign are a large stele with the report of his accession to the throne and the so-called adoption stele . On the first stele it is reported how after the death of Anlamani the generals asked Amun of Napata for a new king and chose him from the brothers of the old ruler Aspelta. The adoption stele reports that Aspelta chose Madiken , the widow (?) Anlamanis, to be the high priestess of Amun of Napata.

Under Aspelta there was possibly a war against Egypt , which is mainly documented in Greek sources. King Psammetich II seems to have penetrated as far as Napata and possibly even sacked this city, but was then defeated by the Nubians. In this city there were now depots of smashed king statues, which were interpreted as the work of destruction by the Egyptians. The last ruler recorded in these depots is Aspelta, which is why it was assumed that the aforementioned campaign took place under him. Recent research is somewhat more cautious in this interpretation and it cannot be ruled out that the smashing and burial of these statues can be traced back to dynastic battles. This may also be the reason why his name was systematically scratched out on his steles.

The pyramid of the Aspelta

Aspelta was buried in the pyramid Nu 8 in Nuri . The pyramid was 27.45 meters by 27.45 meters (base area) and had an inclination angle of 72 degrees. In 1918 it was still 28.73 meters high. A small pyramid temple stood in front of the pyramid. Only one lintel was decorated and shows the ruler before Osiris and Anubis. 64 steps led down to the burial chambers. There were three chambers, all of which were clad with sandstone and then decorated with long texts. In the last chamber - the burial chamber - there was a large sarcophagus inscribed with religious texts . The chambers had long been robbed when they were found, but they still contained a number of valuable objects. There were many alabaster vessels, some of which bear the name of the ruler, a sacrificial tablet and 60 inscribed, glazed beakers. Fifteen gold cylinders are particularly valuable, all of which are richly decorated and show a standing goddess equipped with wings. Such cylinders were also found in other Nubian tombs of kings, but their function is unknown.

Aramatelqo is believed to be the successor to Aspelta , as the pyramid was next to his.

photos

  • Colossal statue from Mount Barkal

  • Colossal statue from Mount Barkal

  • Cartouches of the ruler

See also

literature

  • Dows Dunham , MF Laming Macadam: Names and Relationships of the Royal Family of Napata. In: Journal of Egyptian Archeology. Vol. 35, 1949, ISSN  0307-5133 , pp. 139-149.
  • Dows Dunham: Nuri (= The Royal Cemeteries of Kush. Vol. 2). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA 1955, pp. 78-10.
  • László Török : Meore city. An ancient African Capital. John Garstang's Excavations in the Sudan (= Egypt Exploration Society. Occasional Publications. No. 12). Egypt Exploration Society, London 1997, ISBN 0-85698-137-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ László Török: city Meore. An ancient African Capital. John Garstang's Excavations in the Sudan (= Egypt Exploration Society. Occasional Publications. No. 12). Egypt Exploration Society, London 1997, ISBN 0-85698-137-0 , pp. 235-241.
  2. ↑ László Török: city Meore. An ancient African Capital. John Garstang's Excavations in the Sudan (= Egypt Exploration Society. Occasional Publications. No. 12). Egypt Exploration Society, London 1997, ISBN 0-85698-137-0 , p. 241.
  3. ↑ Computer reconstruction of the coffin chamber . On: learningsites.com ; last accessed on April 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ Photos of this cylinder on: homestead.com ; last accessed on April 26, 2014.

Web links

Commons : Category: Aspelta  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Anlamani King of Nubia unsure
personal data
SURNAME Aspelta
BRIEF DESCRIPTION nubian king
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 6th century BC Chr.