Hellenizing Art in Ancient Nubia 300 B.C. - AD 250 and its Egyptian Models (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East)

511 Pages·2011·18.98 MB·English

by  László Török

Hellenizing Art in Ancient Nubia
300 BC–AD 250
and its Egyptian Models
Culture and History of the
Ancient Near East
Founding Editor
M.H.E. Weippert
Editor-in-Chief
Thomas Schneider
Editors
Eckart Frahm
W. Randall Garr
Baruch Halpern
Theo P.J. van den Hout
Irene J. Winter
VOLUME 53
Hellenizing Art in Ancient Nubia
300 BC–AD 250
and its Egyptian Models
A Study in “Acculturation”
By
László Török
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2011
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Török, László, 1941–
Hellenizing art in ancient Nubia, 300 BC–AD 250, and its Egyptian models : a study in
“acculturation” / by László Török.
p. cm. — (Culture and history of the ancient Near East)
Includes index.
ISBN 978-90-04-21128-5 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Art, Nubian—Egyptian influences.
2. Art, Ancient—Nubia. 3. Art, Hellenistic—Nubia. 4. Architecture, Hellenistic—Nubia.
5. Nubia—Antiquities. 6. Meroe (Extinct city)—Antiquities. 7. Nubia—Civilization. I. Title.
II. Series: Culture and history of the ancient Near East.
N5350.T83 2011
709.3978—dc22
2011019858
ISSN 1566-2055
ISBN 978 90 04 21128 5
Copyright 2011 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing,
IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV
provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center,
222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA.
Fees are subject to change.
CONTENTS
List of Diagrams and Plates ............................................................. ix
Preface and Acknowledgements ...................................................... xix
Geographical and Political Terms .................................................. xxiii
Chronological Table ......................................................................... xxv
Introduction. The Nubian Scene ................................................... 1
1. As Seen in the Classical Antiquity ....................................... 1
2. As Seen in Modern Times ...................................................... 5
Chapter One. Ergamenes, Aktisanes, and the Modern
Discovery of Hellenizing Art in Meroe .................................... 13
1. Ancient and Modern Legends About the Hellenization
of Meroe .................................................................................... 13
2. The Late Twentieth Century Appraisal of Meroitic Art:
“High Art” and “Visual Culture” .......................................... 21
Chapter Two. Reception without Understanding? ..................... 27
Chapter Three. An Elusive Model: Images of Egypt’s
Multicultural Identity in the Ptolemaic and Roman
Periods ............................................................................................. 41
1. The Arts of the Ptolemaic Period .......................................... 41
1.1. Cultural Apartheid or Cultural Symbiosis? ................. 41
1.2. How Hellenistic Was Hellenistic Art in Egypt? ......... 53
1.3. A Dualist Model: The Petosiris Tomb ......................... 61
2. The Arts of the Roman Period .............................................. 71
3. Greek Images of Egyptian Deities: For Whom? ................. 81
Chapter Four. Early Contacts with Ptolemaic Egypt and the
Early Imports ................................................................................. 99
vi contents
Chapter Five. Hellenizing Architecture and Sculpture in
Meroe City ..................................................................................... 113
1. The City of Meroe and its Hellenizing Architecture ......... 113
1.1. The Discovery of the Site ............................................... 113
1.2. The City and its Role in Pre-Meroitic Times ............. 115
1.3. The Meroitic City and the Late Amun Temple ......... 122
1.4. Palaces in the “Royal Enclosure” .................................. 126
1.5. The Faience Cylinders from M 200–221 ..................... 135
2. The “Water Sanctuary” and its Sculptural Finds ............... 139
2.1. The Finds from the 1911–1913 Excavations at
M 95–194–195 and Their Interpretation ..................... 139
2.2. The Sculptures .................................................................. 151
2.2.1. The In Situ Decoration ........................................ 151
2.2.2. The Statuary from the Cachette and Related
Finds from M 194–195 ........................................ 155
2.3. The Function of M 95–194–195 .................................... 169
2.4. Quality and Workshop ................................................... 173
2.5. Date, Style, Program ........................................................ 176
Chapter Six. The Great Enclosure at Musawwarat es Sufra ...... 189
1. Kings and Gods at Musawwarat es Sufra ............................ 189
1.1. The Building and its Function(s): 1 ............................. 189
1.2. Excursus: Building 600 at Naqa .................................... 198
1.3. The Gods of Musawwarat es Sufra ............................... 200
1.4. The Building and its Function(s): 2 ............................. 204
2. The Freedom of Imitation ...................................................... 214
2.1. The Ground Plan ............................................................. 214
2.2. Forms and Styles .............................................................. 221
2.2.1. Innovations in Architectural Forms ................. 221
2.2.2. Innovations in Architectural Sculpture ............ 227
2.2.3. On the Style of the Sculptures in the Round
from Musawwarat es Sufra ................................. 236
Chapter Seven. From Mass-Product to Luxury and Back.
Decorated Fine Pottery and Meroitic Vase Painting .............. 239
1. Academic Access to Decorated Fine Pottery ...................... 239
2. Handmade Early Meroitic Finewares ................................... 243
3. Undecorated Wheel-Made Early Meroitic Finewares ....... 245
4. Episodes of Figural Relief Decoration .................................. 247
contents vii
5. Meroitic Vase Painting ........................................................... 251
5.1. A Note on Decoration Colours and Structures ......... 251
5.2. Styles of Vase Painting ................................................... 252
5.2.1. Linear Designs ...................................................... 252
5.2.2. Import and Imitation of Decorated Hellenistic
Pottery in the Early Meroitic Period ................ 253
5.2.3. The Beginnings of the “Line Drawing Style” ... 261
5.2.4. Narrative Episodes ............................................... 269
5.2.5. Decorated Egyptian Pottery Produced for the
Nubian Market and its Impact on Meroitic
Painters .................................................................. 277
5.2.6. The Style of Order ................................................ 288
5.2.7. Painters from the Region Between the Second
and Third Cataracts ............................................. 293
5.2.8. Back to Mass Production and Some
Exceptions .............................................................. 295
Chapter Eight. The Hellenistic Egyptian Style Kiosk at
Naqa or “Acculturation” Sidetracked ........................................ 301
Chapter Nine. Media and Messages. The Autonomy of
Nubian “Acculturation” ............................................................... 309
Abbreviations ..................................................................................... 327
Index of Names .................................................................................. 349
Index of Places, Peoples, and Monuments .................................... 353
Museum Index ................................................................................... 357
Plates .................................................................................................... 359

LIST OF DIAGRAMS AND PLATES
Diagrams
1 P rofile of column bases, Musawwarat es Sufra, Great Enclosure,
outer front colonnade 102 (p. 222)
Plates
1 Map of the Middle Nile Region
2 Hellenizing Egyptian capital. After McKenzie 2007 fig. 191
3 F ragment of Egyptian terracotta statuette of cult attedant, Buda-
pest, private collection. After Török 1995 Cat. 163
4 Egyptian terracotta statuette of Nubian priestess, Budapest, Mu-
seum of Fine Arts T 534. After Török 1995 Cat. 145
5 H ead of Egyptian terracotta statuette of Nubian, Budapest, Mu-
seum of Fine Arts T 252. After Török 1995 Cat. 222
6 Tuna el-Gebel, Petosiris tomb, pronaos, relief scene. After Lefeb-
vre 1924/2007 Pl. XIX
7 Tuna el-Gebel, Petosiris tomb, pronaos, relief scene. After Lefeb-
vre 1924/2007 Pl. XX, bottom
8 T una el-Gebel, Petosiris tomb, naos, scene 88, detail. After C-C-G
123
9 T una el-Gebel, Petosiris tomb, naos, scene 93, detail. After C-C-G
140
10 Begarawiya West grave 501, inlaid casket lid. After Török 1989
No. 6
11 Meroe City, leg of bronze censer. After Török 1997b Pl. 189
(right)
12 Begarawiya South grave 3, top: bronze strainer; bottom: silver
bowl. After Török 1989 Nos 1a, 2
13 B egarawiya South grave 6, metal vessels. After Török 1989 Nos
12–15
14 Th e region of Meroe City. After Hinkel – Sievertsen 2002 Pl.
IX.3