Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection Berlin

Tulip-shaped Cups

Classical Kerma, ca. 1750-1550 B.C.
Ceramic
Kerma

The area to the south of Egypt between the 1st and 4th cataract was occupied since the 5th millennium B.C. and was closely interconnected through trade with its neighbour to the north during war and peace times.
At ca. 3800 B.C. there exited in Lower Nubia the so called A-Group culture which stood in close relation to the Nagada II culture in upper Egypt. The first warlike raids by Egyptian pharaohs in ca. 2800 B.C. lead to the demise of the A-Group people which were followed by the so called C-Group culture in ca. 2400 B.C. The archaeological vacuum between 2800 and 2400 was filled in Upper Nubia by the Pre-Kerma culture from which developed the Middle and Classic Kerma Culture (1750-1500 B.C.). The pharaohs of the New Kingdom (1540-1292 B.C.) conquer
Nubia and thereby end the independence of the Kerma Culture.
Most of the ceramics showing the quality and variety of the vessels, produced by a special method developed by people of the Kerma culture, was found in graves. The eggshell-like ceramic with highly polished red surface and black polished rim decoration, as for example the beaker shown here, is particularly characteristic.

Necklace and Ankh-signs

1st century B.C.
Gold, fused glass
Meroë, Pyramid No. 6
Inv.-No. 22874-75, 22877

An Italy doctor and hobby archaeologist, G. Ferlini, found, in 1834, in the upper part of the largest Pyramid in Meroë a small hidden chamber with a pot filled with precious jewellery: Seal rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and amulets.
The delicate objects made mostly of gold and inlayed with fused glass were, when first offered for sale in Europe, considered to be forgeries. Their authenticity was however confirmed in 1844 through R. Lepsius who during his expedition to Egypt and Nubia had visited Meroë and had seen the pyramids. The larger part of these finds were then bought by Berlin, the smaller part had already been bought by Ludwig the 1st of Bavaria.
The jewellery belonged to queen Amanishakheto who carried the title of ruler of the kingdom of Kush where she reign in the 1^st century B.C. The precious jewels show Pharaonic as well as Hellenistic influence in the design.

Bark Stand of king Natakamani und Queen Amanitore

Ca. 1-25 A.D.
Sandstone
Height 116 cm, width 84 cm
Wad Ban Naga (Sudan)
Inv.-No. 7261

The Prussian Expedition lead by Richard Lepsius visited the site of Wad Ben Naga near the 6th cataract in 1844. There they found a destroyed temple in which three sandstone altars were still in place. The largest one was transported to the Berlin Museum.
The block represents a chapel and served as a stand for the bark of the god or for his cult statue. The four sides are decorated with figurative panels, at top with a horizontal hieroglyph representing a star filled sky. The sky is supported by two female goddesses and by the king and queen. The queen Amanitore is shown with short hair and voluminous body representing the Meroitic ideal in contrast to the more egyptianized goddess with the slim body and the long hair.
In front and behind the king and queen, the names are written, in cartouches. Unique is that one of the names, the throne name is written in Egyptian hieroglyphs, the birth name is written in Meroitic hieroglyphs however in the longer vertical inscription the birth name is again written in Egyptian hieroglyphs - a true (albeit small) bilingual!
Despite ongoing studies the language remains, due to a lack of longer bilingual texts until now, undeciphered.