Kerma ware beaker

 

Height: 11.500 cm

EA 55424

Room 65: Sudan, Egypt & Nubia

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

Pottery beaker

Beginning around 2500 BC, the rich and sophisticated kingdom of Kush developed in the fertile Kerma basin in southern Nubia. Kerma, its capital for over a thousand years, was an urbanised community with large-scale religious structures, workshops and domestic quarters.

The most distinctive products of the Kerma culture were ceramics. The potters were able to produce incredibly fine vessels by hand, without using a wheel. The pot shown here belongs to the so-called 'Kerma Classique' phase, which lasted from around 1750 to around 1550 BC. Kerma Classique pottery is characterized by a black top and a rich red-brown base, separated by an irregular purple-grey band. The black tops and interiors are usually extremely smooth and have a distinctive metallic lustrous appearance.

Kerma remained independent during Egypt's initial forays into Sudan. This situation changed after 1500 BC, when the Egyptians defeated the Kushites and began to administer the area via their representative, the 'Viceroy of Kush', based at Kerma.