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NUBIAN TOMBS DISCOVERED By Dr. Elena Pischikova
In 2006, our mission “South Asasif Conservation Project,” re-discovered the earliest decorated Nubian tombs built in ancient Thebes (modern Luxor) at the end of the 8th century B.C. Seen by travelers of the 19th century in an already ruined condition, the tombs completely disappeared beneath the houses of the modern village, and were forgotten by scholars and visitors to the Theban necropolis. The tombs were considered as having ceased to exist, destroyed by people and nature. As Nubian art of Dynasty 25 is not the most popular and well-researched period in modern Egyptology, the tombs were completely neglected for almost two hundred years.
We made it our mission to find the lost tombs and restore all that was still possible to rescue. It proved to be a very difficult task. Since these tombs were built they were reused as workshops, living quarters, stables, and quarries. The blocks of stone from the walls and pillars were used to build houses and fences. The courts and pillared halls were filled with livestock, the vestibules used as kitchens, and the burial chambers robbed. As a result, some of the tombs’ areas collapsed, some are devoid of their original decoration, and some painting and colorful reliefs were covered with a layer of soot so thick that they looked completely black. Houses were built right on top of the tombs and collapsed areas were used as dumps.
When we started excavating three years ago, we could not be sure we would find anything. All that was left of the largest tomb in the area was a crack in the ground. For weeks we were digging with no results. Our only discoveries were pieces of burnt bedrock with no traces of hieroglyphic inscriptions or decoration. Only fifteen feet down from the surface of the desert did we find the first inscription with the titles of a dignitary. This small fragment with original ancient carving gave us hope that there was something still left in the tomb. A week later we found the first image of the owner of the tomb, the Nubian Priest Karakhamun. The face of Karakhamun displays bold Nubian features, round head with cropped hair, round full cheeks, nose broad at the nostrils, and full protruding lips. A long neck and large elegant eyes with thin pointed cosmetic lines make his features resemble those of the Nubian pharaoh Shebitqo who ruled Egypt and Nubia at the end of the eighth and beginning of the seventh century B.C.
The rest of his figure and the whole composition were rendered in the style of the Old Kingdom (2700–2200 B.C.). Karakhamun is shown with a broad shouldered torso, narrow waist, heavily muscled legs, and bare feet, seated on a bovine-legged chair with a short back and papyrus umbel behind. The legs of the throne are resting on a double pedestal. Although a priest, he is depicted without a pelt vest, in a pleated skirt and a broad collar. The precision and elegance of the carving of the figure, bold modeling on the legs, and delicate detailed carving of the eye and ear are beautifully, balanced creating an exquisite piece of art. The offering table, offering list, and rituals performed in front of Karakhamun were clearly influenced by the art of the Old Kingdom, some two thousand years earlier.
Nubian pharaohs collected and copied Old Kingdom inscriptions, re-used Old Kingdom royal names, constructed pyramids over their burials in Nubia, and ordered decoration in the style of the Old Kingdom for their tombs and temples. The revival of the ancient forms of art, architecture, and literature in the 8th-7th century B.C. was an incomparable Renaissance period in ancient Egyptian culture. The Nubians admired and preserved the traditions of ancient art and managed to turn Egyptian civilization back to its past so it would remain “true” to its roots. Nubian pharaohs, who ruled Egypt from 750-664 B.C., brought back to life the most ancient and fundamental forms of Egyptian culture. For example, the building of monumental decorated tombs in Egypt had ceased to exist for almost four centuries since the end of the New Kingdom (2200 B.C.) but came back as part of the Nubian Renaissance. The tombs of South Asasif that we discovered are the earliest Nubian tombs built on the West bank of ancient Thebes.
The exquisite quality of relief carving found in the tomb of Karakhamun demonstrates that this Nubian tomb was one of the most beautiful in the Theban necropolis, if not in all of Egypt. The hunting dog under the chair of Karakhamun is one of the most exquisite images found in the tomb. The outlines of its elegant body are carved in sunk relief with sharpness and precision. The muzzle and chest are beautifully modeled. The muscle structure of the hind leg is shown extremely powerfully, corresponding with the treatment of Karakhamun’s legs. The elongated eye is rimmed with a long cosmetic line almost reaching the collar. The collar itself is shaped as a sash wrapped three times around the neck and knotted on the back. What gives the dog a flair of stylish elegance is its exaggeratedly long slender nose, upright pointed ears, and a long tail twisted into four coils.
By the fall of 2008 we cleared debris from the east and north sections of the First Pillared Hall of the tomb of Karakhamun and found five pillars and thousands of painted relief fragments of the tomb’s magnificent relief decoration. Our major finds include an exquisite collection of faces of Karakhamun and other Nubians of his time.
One of the most impressive faces we discovered belongs to the Nubian dignitary, the Mayor of Thebes, Karabasken. It is the head of his shawabti (faience funerary figurine), with bold portrait features. What was left of the tomb of Karabasken was used by the local villages as a “summer house,” as it is always cool in its underground chambers. With its decoration chiseled off by later inhabitants, the tomb looked like an empty shell.
Patiently removing a six-feet debris layer from the entrance area we discovered an unknown image of Karabasken. Damaged, deteriorating and flaking from the moist debris covering it, the bedrock still preserved the outlines of his figure. Karabasken wanted to be presented as a priest of the Old Kingdom seated on a lion-legged chair, barefoot and dressed in a pelt vest and a short skirt.
The sophistication and self-confidence seen in the style of Nubian images in Thebes show that they were based on a thorough knowledge and understanding of the art and culture of the Old Kingdom. The Nubian pharaohs present themselves as devoted keepers of the ancient traditions of Egyptian culture, restorers of “true” Egypt, and faithful descendants of the legendary pharaohs of the Old Kingdom.
Three years of work in the Nubian tombs of the South Asasif necropolis let us prove that they not only exist but they also contain beautiful architecture, painting and relief carving comparable with the best monuments created in ancient Egypt. They also add to our understanding of Egyptian history of the late period and the role of Nubians in creating, preserving, and resurrecting Egyptian culture.
Recovering and restoring the beauty of these extremely important tombs is tremendously hard work due to their present condition, and it will take many years and thousands of dollars to restore them. We need to finish the excavation of their vestibules, courts, pillared halls and burial chambers. Every tiny stone must be examined in search of traces of the collapsed wall decoration. What is equally important is the restoration of every found fragment, which then has to be cleaned, numbered, entered into a database, and consolidated. The next step is looking for joints. We put together large sections of walls and pillars in sand boxes on the ground, to be later reinstalled in their original locations. The walls and pillars have to be rebuilt, and thousands of carved fragments of limestone must be fixed on them. Our final goal is to fully reconstruct, photograph and publish our work, so that people can visit the tombs in Egypt, and read about them in homes and schools all over the world. Their reconstruction and publication will be a major turning point in our understanding and evaluation of Nubian art and the Nubian contributions to Egyptian history.
A project of this magnitude needs the help of those who appreciate its future impact on our interpretation of Egyptian art and culture. We are asking for help, both financial and professional. Your financial contribution does not have to be substantial. Every $10-20 will help us to buy tools and conservation materials. If many people support us it will be a project run by a community devoted to finding the roots of their civilization and preserving their history for future generations. All your donations will be tax-deductible as you will address them to our non-profit organization, IKG Cultural Circles, Inc.
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