Granite shabti

 

Height: 40.600 cm

EA 55484

Room 65: Sudan, Egypt & Nubia

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Sudan Past and Present: Early cultures to the Arrival of Christianity

Granite shabti

The early Kushite kings were buried on beds placed on stone platforms in the tombs under their pyramids. These structures were based on the pyramids of Egyptian private tombs of the New Kingdom (about 1550-1070 BC), but the style of burial was entirely Kushite. King Taharqo (690-664 BC) introduced more Egyptian elements to the burial, such as mummification, coffins and sarcophagi of Egyptian origin, as well as the provision of shabti figures such as this. These figures were in the style of the Middle and New Kingdoms, the era that the Kushites considered the height of Egyptian culture. The use of stone and the rugged features of these large shabtis are characteristic of early examples.

During period of Kushite control of Egypt, the kings resided mainly at Memphis, and Kushite princesses were appointed to the religious office of 'God's Wife of Amun'. The Twenty-fifth Dynasty rulers - Piankhi, Shabaqo, Taharqo and Tamwetamani - brought much-needed stability to Egypt, which had been divided into small areas and governed by local dynasts. Art, architecture and religious learning were revived and Taharqo in particular was an active builder, constructing a number of temples in both Egypt and Nubia. However, it was during Taharqo's reign that Assyrian invasions forced the Kushites out of Egypt. Control was regained by his successor Tamwetamani (664-656 BC) but quickly lost again.