Inlaid Nubian chest
Type:
Boxes
Date:
Fifth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Egypt
Dimensions:
112 × 110 × 110 cm,
front 75 × 80 cm
Description:
This decorated chest was found at an elite cemetery in Qustul, on the east bank of the Nile River near the Egypt–Sudan border. It may have been a bridal gift, as the inlaid ivory panels on its front side are incised with images related to fertility and prosperity, their legibility enhanced by colored wax. These images include creatures from classical myth (maenads and satyrs from the cult of the wine god) as well as the Egyptian household divinity Bes. The panels are monumentalized with architectural frames separated by lush vines, all in ivory. he ivory had to be imported, as North African elephants were extinct by the third century CE, but the mahogany and acacia wood, the ornate bronze lock, and the bronze and iron clasps were acquired and made locally.
The Nubian kingdoms were active in late antique trade networks, which extended across North Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Ocean. The chest was found alongside many luxury objects, including silver and coral bracelets, plaques adorned with amethysts, metal spears, and a leather bag of jewels. What it was excavated in 1930, the box had already been forced open and robbed of its contents.
The inlaid chest is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (JE 71191).
The Nubian kingdoms were active in late antique trade networks, which extended across North Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Ocean. The chest was found alongside many luxury objects, including silver and coral bracelets, plaques adorned with amethysts, metal spears, and a leather bag of jewels. What it was excavated in 1930, the box had already been forced open and robbed of its contents.
The inlaid chest is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (JE 71191).
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
2
Image Credits:
Linda Safran, Jill Caskey
