Vitrina Cero: Reflections of Ancient Nubia

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REFLECTIONS OF ANCIENT NUBIA. A LAND OF CONTRASTS THROUGH POTTERY The ancient land of Nubia, known by the ancient Egyptians as Wawat and Kush, and located to the south of Egypt and Sudan, occupied two very different areas: a rocky area with abundant rapids and abrupt geological changes, and another, with extensive deserts. This territory was characterized by its enormous and varied biodiversity embodied in its religious, cultural and artistic manifestations. The ceramic cointainers, mainly found in funerary contexts, stand out. These were the main support in which they depicted the wide variety of animals and plants.

“The immense masses of rock piled up together, the open plains, the entire want of all vegetation, and yet the traces of so many animals; the occasional view of the distant palms straggling by the river-side, and of the boundless desert beyond it, with the knowledge that man has no power here to change the face of nature.” . Waddington, G. & Hanbury, B. (1822)

The wine or Vitis vinifera is a climbing shrub with a woody and twisted trunk, called stock. The fruit of the wine, the grape, has been used since ancient times both as food and for the production of wine as well, highly appreciated for its flavor and its high alcohol content. Ilustración: © Maravillas Boccio

Sorghum is a cereal documented since 8,000 BC, mainly in the clayey plains where water is abundant and the soil is more fertile. The edible part of the plant is the fruit. At present it continues to be one of the staple foods of the population. Ilustración: © Maravillas Boccio

The “demon” looking faces represented on Nubian ceramic containers were intended to scare away the evil spirits that the deceased could encounter in the afterlife. They could also harm or impair his existence after death.

The snake lived both in deserts and on the banks of the Nile. It used to stealthily stalk the inhabitants of Nubia who feared it for its aggressiveness, bite and venom that caused severe pain, followed by paralysis and finally death.

The scorpion lived mainly in the desert. With a color very similar to sand, it would easily camouflage, avoiding being seen by the inhabitants of the desert, who suffered its sting, often causing a quick and painful death

The frog was frequently found near the banks of the river Nile, and according to the Egyptians and Nubians, once the flood had ended and the waters descended, this animal, along with the snake, was the first one to emerge. Therefore it was always connected with the Creation.

The Nile crocodile or Cocodrilus niloticus is one of the largest sauropsids in the world. Feared by the ancient Nubians for its large and strong jaws, this animal could cause serious bites and often death. He was identified with the god Sobek. .

The lotus flower of the Nile or Nymphaea caerulea, with its large leaves, long stems and bluish-hued flowers, symbolized the Renaissance since it emerged resplendent every morning from the deepest waters of the Nile after sinking at dusk. Ilustración: © Maravillas Boccio

This animal represents a quadruped, perhaps a giraffe, documented in Theban tombs where it appears to be part of the annual tribute to the pharaoh. Not all animals were feared by the inhabitants of Nubias, as many were part of the diet such as fish, birds, gazelles, horses, ostriches, bovids or frogs, the latter linked to creation, rebirth and regeneration.

1. OVOID VESSEL WITH FLORAL MOTIFS Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Argin, Necropolis of Nelluah

2. CYLINDRICAL VASE WITH VINE LEAF DECORATION Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Argin, Necropolis of Nelluah

3. GLOBULAR VASE DECORATED WITH INVERTED LOTUS FLOWERS AND BUDS Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Masmas, Necropolis of Nag Gamus

4. CYLINDRICAL VASE WITH LOTUS FLOWERS Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Argin, Necropolis of Nelluah

5. CUP FRAGMENT WITH HANDLE AND LOTUS FLOWER DECORATION Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Argin, Necropolis of Nelluah

6. JUG WITH STYLIZED FLORAL MOTIFS Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Masmas, Necropolis of Nag Gamus

7. CYLINDRICAL VASE WITH SORGHUM DECORATION Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Masmas, Necropolis of Nag Gamus

8. GLOBULAR VESSEL WITH IMAGES OF "DEMONS" AND PAPYRUS FLOWERS Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Masmas, Necropolis of Nag Gamus

9. GLOBULAR VESSEL WITH SNAKE DECORATION Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Masmas, Necropolis of Nag Gamus

10. CYLINDRICAL VASE DECORATED WITH SCORPIONS Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Argin, Necropolis of Nelluah

11. FRAGMENT OF DISH BOTTOM WITH CIRCULAR SEAL AND AN IMAGE OF A GIRAFFE AND CRUCIFORM MOTIFS Christian Period Abkanarti

13. CYLINDRICAL VASE WITH AMPHIBIAN DECORATION Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Masmas, Necropolis of Nag Gamus

12. GLOBULAR VESSEL WITH CROCODILE DECORATION Meroitic Period (300 BC - 400) Argin, Necropolis of Nag Shayeg

Plant species, numerous and varied as they were, used to have flowers and fruits. Many of them were edible and often had healing and magical properties. They were represented in a realistic, stylized or abstract way and almost always as a succession of images alluding to the same plant or tree, although sometimes they are not easy to identify.

The animals had a symbolic meaning in the religious and funeral world of the ancient land of Nubia. Many of them were extremely dangerous due to their bite and poison, but they were also valuable for their skin, horns and tusks, while others served as food for the population, and even reflect the process of domestication and sedentarization.