Ancient Treasures Of The Kushite Necropolis At Sedeinga, Northern Sudan

AncientPages.com - Archaeologists unearthed many fascinating ancient treasures during excavations conducted at Sedeinga, a necropolis located 450 miles from Meroe in northern Sudan.

Among them, there are 35 small and densely-packed Nubian pyramids, built during the later Meroitic Kingdom of Kush that dates back around 2,000 years. The structures reveal prehistoric links between the northern African kingdom of Kush, located in the region known as Nubia and ancient Egypt.

One of the recent discoveries is a 3,300 year-old sandstone wall relief bearing a defaced figure of ancient Egypt’s god Amun-Ra.

Pyramids in Sedeinga, Northern Sudan and artifacts unearthed in the area. Credits: Vincent Francigny/Sedau

Experts say that the discovery represents new evidence of Egypt’s religious revolution during the reign of the 18th dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten (1353 BC to 1335 BC).

Sedeinga is located between the second and third cataracts, on the left bank of the Nile, about thirty kilometers south of Sai island. The site was initially known for the remains of the temple of queen Tiye, great royal wife of Amenophis III.

Akhenaten ("Effective for Aten") is believed to be the first person ever in ancient Egypt to have brought about a departure from the traditional religious polytheistic beliefs and proclaimed monotheism. For 18 years, the worship of Egypt’s over 150 deities were strictly banned and religious practices were performed only in favor of only Aten.

Sedeinga, aerial view of temple of Queen Tiyi. Source: llacan

"Aten" was the traditional name for the sun-disk and so the name of the god is often translated as "the Aten". Aten took the shape of a sun disk, sometimes with wings, sometimes with life-giving hands on rays reaching out to worshippers.

The wall relief was likely defaced by the followers of Akhenaten who, during his 18-year tenure, prohibited the worship of all other Egyptian deities including Amun, the most powerful god during the New Kingdom Period (1580 B.C-1080 B.C).

QueenTiyes temple ruins at Sedeinga

“Statues, names and figures of the god Amun were deliberately defaced by ancient Egyptians who believed in Akhenaten’s monotheism,” said Sabban.

The wall relief measures 1.8 m high and 0.4 m wide and bears the name and image of Amun, and originally flanked the entrance of a mortuary temple at Sedeinga that was built and dedicated to Akhenaten’s mother, Queen Tiye (1398 B.C. – 1338 B.C.,) according to Aly el-Asfar, the head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Department.

Ramses II- (left) making offerings to God Amun-Karnak temple - Photo Courtsey of Janice Phillips

“The wall relief, which was discovered in two pieces in a tomb at Sedeinga, seems to have been reused as a tomb mastaba (bench) 1,000 years after the death of Akhenaten’s mother."

Since the Pharaoh’s mother was still keen to have figures of Amun, despite being banned by her son, carved at her tomb, this might indicate “family troubles” over Akhenaten’s religion might have existed during his reign.

The practice of building diminutive pyramids trickled down from royals to the wealthy elite much more extensively than previously believed. Sedeinga contains a dense field of small pyramids, one just 30 inches across. Credits: Vincent Francigny/SEDAU

Akhenaten wanted to avoid clashes with the powerful priesthood of Amun in Luxor, which was the capital city of Egypt (for five centuries) during the New Kingdom period.

Therefore he  established Aten, a new capital city east of Upper Egypt’s governorate of Minya where he moved with his family including his wife, Nefertiti.

Egypt occupied northern Sudan for about 500 years until roughly 1,000 BC but its cultural influence faded during the 700-year reign of the Meroe kingdom from about 350 BC.

French excavations at Meroitic site Sedeinga - "ancient Adeye" also revealed inscriptions found in the tombs, which are written in Meroitic, a phonetic writing simplified from the Egyptian.

Sedeinga is the Nubian name of the archaeological site itself, the administrative
territory is known under tne modern name of Qubbet Selim. The nearest village just south of Sedeinga is 'Nilwa ('the white'), so named because of an extensive vein of quartz present in the area.

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source: SFDAS
The Cairo Post

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