Kerma culture
The Kermakultur is a prehistoric culture in Upper Nubia .
The kingdom of kerma developed from the kerma culture, which in turn can be divided into several phases: pre-, early and middle kerma as well as the classic kerma and late kerma. The Kermaculture is documented in the north up to the second Nile cataract . Its southern extent is still undetermined. The fine, red-brown ceramic with a black upper edge is typical. The ceramics were initially handmade, but later also formed on the potter's wheel (since the classical Kerma). The basis of life was agriculture and especially cattle breeding.
exploration
In 1913 and 1916 George Andrew Reisner examined the remains of the main town of this culture near Kerma . The finds were unexpectedly rich, which made this culture known relatively quickly. After this first important discovery, there were only small isolated excavations at places of the Kerma culture in Sudan for a long time, which only changed in recent years with an increased interest in Nubia. Intensive research was also carried out at the Kerma site itself. Matthieu Honegger continued the work of Charles Bonnet here from 2005.
Phases
Pre-Kerma
Pre-Kerma (approx. 3500-2500 BC) is roughly the same time as the A group in Lower Nubia and is closely related to it. It has even been suggested that it is identical to this one. There is probably a large settlement of this period in Kerma. Nevertheless, a semi-nomadic way of life is assumed.
Early Kerma
The early Kermas phase (approx. 2500–2000 BC) is not very well documented. She mingled with the C group at times . There are few imports from Egypt. The graves with variously rich furnishings suggest a certain social differentiation.
Middle Kerma
The Middle Kerma (approx. 2000–1700 BC) had its centers in Sai and Kerma.
Classic kerma
In this phase (approx. 1700–1550 BC) the state was formed: the kingdom of Kerma. The center was located in the town of Kerma in Upper Nubia and was one of the largest cultural centers in Nubia during this period. In Kerma there was a city, a temple and a cemetery that many burial mounds had. Human sacrifices were made in the largest tombs. The frequent additions of weapons suggest that the Kerma people of this time were warlike.
George Andrew Reisner believed that Kerma was the seat of an Egyptian ruler. His theory was based on the Egyptian statues found in the large tombs, which must have been erected especially in honor of distinguished people. Reisner's misinterpretations, however, lay in the many clichés and prejudices of the 1920s. Archaeologists at that time tended to downplay the discoveries of a black high culture.
The number of finds shows the power of Kerma, especially when it threatened the borders of Egypt in the Second Intermediate Period . This has also been confirmed by a new inscription found in a grave in Elkab . This reports of an attack by the Kerma people and a foray into Egypt. Most of the Egyptian statues and objects found in Kerma come from this foray. The Kerma people now also controlled the Egyptian fortresses in Lower Nubia. From there, the name of a kerma ruler, who is mentioned in the biographical inscription of an Egyptian, is known: Nedjeh.
The Gism el-Arba archaeological site is north of the 3rd cataract between Dongola and Kerma. The 20 villages uncovered so far in an area of 6 × 8 km² were settled from the middle of the 3rd to the middle of the 2nd millennium. From the beginning of the Mittel-Kerma, rectangular buildings of about 4 × 6 m² were built from adobe bricks. The settlements and some cemeteries to the east were abandoned at the beginning of the Late Kerma.
Isolated Kerma graves have also been found in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period. These graves may come from soldiers who died in the Egyptian campaign in this country, and some of the kermakeramik that was found in Egypt may also have been traded.
Late kerma
The Late Kerma dates from approx. 1550–1450 BC. Under Thutmose I the Egyptian army moved south in several campaigns, which led to the annexation of Nubia by Egypt and the history of the kingdom of Kerma to an end. The Kermaculture can be traced for some time in some places, but was then largely ousted by the Egyptian culture.
See also
literature
- Charles Bonnet, et al .: The Pharaoh's venus d'Afrique: La cachette de Kerma . Citadelles & Mazenod, 2005, ISBN 2-85088-216-X
- Charles Bonnet: Kerma, Territoire et Métropole , Institut Français d'Archaéologie Orientale du Caire, 1986, ISBN 2-7247-0041-4
- Timothy Kendall: Kerma and the Kingdom of Kush . National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Inst. Washington DC, 1997, ISBN 0-9656001-0-6
- George Andrew Reisner: Excavations at Kerma I-III / IV-V . Harvard African Studies Volume V. Peabody Museum of Harvard University, Cambridge Mass, 1923
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kermakeramik on Digital Egypt
- ↑ Ceramics at the Nubia Museum ( Memento from January 16, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Geneviève Lüscher : Archaeologists are discovering a settlement continuity lasting thousands of years in Sudan's Nile Valley: from hunting stations to farming villages to the town of Kerma, aridization forced people to live ever closer to the river. Swiss National Science Foundation, Horizons, June 2006 (PDF; 345 kB)
- ↑ Sudan - Nubia - Gism el-Arba. Rural settlements in the Kingdom of Kerma. France diplomacy