El-Kurru

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Pyramid at El-Kurru

El-Kurru was one of the royal cemeteries used by the Nubian royal family. Reisner excavated the royal pyramids. Most of the pyramids date to the early part of the Kushite period, from Alara of Nubia (795 - 752 BC) to King Nastasen (335 - 315 BC).[1]

The area is divided into three parts by two wadis. The central section seems to be the oldest and contains several tumulus type tombs that predate the Kingdom of Napata. Reisner thought that the earliest tomb, Tum.1, dated back to the time of Pharaoh Sheshonq I of Ancient Egypt (ca. 850 BCE) and predates the Kingdom of Napata by some 200 years. At the present scholars (Kendall, Hakem, Totok) think the early cemetery stretches back to the Ramesside period and date the earliest burials to the end of the Twentieth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt (ca 1070 BCE), although Kendall has reverted his position and now adheres to a dating closer to the one proposed by Reisner.[2]

Burial Chamber of the tomb of Tanutamani

The highest part of the cemetery contains 4 tumulus tomb (Tum.1,2,4 and 5). To the north, across the northern wadi Tum.6 is located. To the east of the tumul tombs we find row of at least eight pyramids. One of them partially intrudes on a tumuls tomb (Tum.19). The southernmost of this row of pyramids belonging to Kashta (presumably to) his wife Pebatjma. Before this row is another row of pyramids which includes those of Piye, Shabaka and Tanutamani.
To the south of the pyramid of Pebatjma one has to cross the southern wadi to reach the southern pyramids. These are the pyramids of the Queens: Naparaye (K.3), Khensa (K.4), Qalhata (K.5), and Arty (K.6).[3]

Pyramids and Tombs at El-Kurru

  • Tum.1, the oldest tomb at El-Kurru.
  • Tum.2, the tomb contained a female skull.[3]
  • Tum.4
  • Tum.5
  • Tum.6, tomb located to the north of Tum.1, across the northern wadi.
  • Tum.19, located to the east of the cluster of tumulus tombs. Pyramid K.13 partly obliterated a section of this tomb.

Pyramids dating to the time of the Kingdom of Napata (ca 750 - 650 BCE) and later

Horse Burials

Some 120 meters to the north-west of pyramids K.51-K.55 four rows of graves were found which contained horse burials. The rows contained four, eight, eight and four graves respectively. The four graves in the first row likely date to the time of Piye, the tombs in the second row date to the time of Shabaka, the tombs in the third row date to the time of Shebitqo, and the tombs in the fourth and last row date to the time of Tantamani.

The tombs had all been robbed, but enough remained to determined that the horses were all buried in an upright position. The horses were buried with all their trappings.[4]

Royal Cemeteries

For other royal cemeteries see

References

  1. ↑ Dows Dunham and M. F. Laming Macadam, Names and Relationships of the Royal Family of Napata, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 35 (Dec., 1949), pp. 139-149
  2. ↑ R.G. Morkot, The Black Pharaohs: Egypt's Nubian Rulers, 2000, The Rubicon Press
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 D. M. Dixon, The Origin of the Kingdom of Kush (Napata-Meroë), The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 50 (Dec., 1964), pp. 121-132
  4. ↑ George A. Reisner, Note on the Harvard-Boston Excavations at El-Kurruw and Barkal in 1918-1919, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan., 1920), pp. 61-64

Coordinates: 18°24′36″N 31°46′17″E / 18.41000°N 31.77139°E / 18.41000; 31.77139

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