The Black kingdom of the Nile / Charles Bonnet ; with a foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bonnet, Charles, 1933- author.

Contributor:

Gates, Henry Louis, Jr., writer of foreword.

Series:

The Nathan I. Huggins Lectures

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Excavations (Archaeology)--Nubia.

Excavations (Archaeology).

Archaeology and history--Nile River Valley.

Archaeology and history.

Kerma (Extinct city).

Nubia--Antiquities.

Nubia.

Nubia--History.

Nile River Valley--Antiquities.

Nile River Valley.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 209 pages) : illustrations (chiefly color)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts ; London, England : Harvard University Press, [2019]

Summary:

For the past fifty years, Charles Bonnet has been excavating sites in present-day Sudan and Egypt that point to the existence of a sophisticated ancient black African civilization thriving alongside the Egyptians. In The Black Kingdom of the Nile, he gathers the results of these excavations to reveal the distinctively indigenous culture of the black Nubian city of Kerma, the capital of the Kingdom of Kush. This powerful and complex political state organized trade to the Mediterranean basin and built up a military strong enough to resist Egyptian forces. Further explorations at Dukki Gel, north of Kerma, reveal a major Nubian fortified city of the mid-second millennium BCE featuring complex round and oval structures. Bonnet also found evidence of the revival of another powerful black Nubian society, seven centuries after Egypt conquered Kush around 1500 BCE, when he unearthed seven life-size granite statues of black Pharaohs (ca. 744-656 BCE). Bonnet's discoveries have shaken our understanding of the origins and sophistication of early civilization in the heart of black Africa. Until Bonnet began his work, no one knew the extent and power of the Nubian state or the existence of the black pharaohs who presided successfully over their lands. The political, military, and commercial achievements revealed in these Nubian sites challenge our long-held belief that the Egyptians were far more advanced than their southern neighbors and that black kingdoms were effectively vassal states. Charles Bonnet's discovery of this lost black kingdom forces us to rewrite the early history of the African continent.-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part 1. Kerma, capital of Nubia: History of the expedition

The fortress at the beginning of early Kerma

The early Kerma City

The middle Kerma City

The classic Kerma City

The port area and temple

A royal tomb

Part 2. Dukki Gel, an African city, and the mnnw of Thutmose I: The site of Dukki Gel

The ceremonial city of Dukki Gel

A later intervention in Palace A

The Egyptian conquest of Nubia

The mnnw of Thutmose I

Fortifications

Egyptian temples and native cult installations***

Egyptian palaces

The resumption of power by the king of Kerma and his allies

Nubian and African remains after Thutmose I

Cult buildings

Part 3. Pnubs during the New Kingdom, Napatan, and Meroitic periods

Restoration of the mnnw by Thutmose II and Hatshepsut

Northern fortifications

Northwest gate and foregate

Southern fortifications

Egyptian temples and native places of worship

The palace of Hatshepsut

The second mnnw

Occupation of the territory by Thutmose III

A ceremonial palace

The ancient city of Pnubs, pacified

Remains of Thutmose IV at Pnubs

The Amarna reform

The main temple dedicated to Aten

The Ramesside occupation

The Kushite kingship

The Napatan kingdom

Dukki Gel in the Meroitic period

A reconstructed temple

The central temple

Two palaces.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-674-23904-0

0-674-23903-2

OCLC:

1100071801