Ancient Nubian Art
Regular price
€55.99
Kings
and queens of Nubia reigned over one of the largest empires in the ancient
world and had contacts extending north to Greece and Rome, south to
sub-Saharan Africa, east to the Red Sea, and west across much of the Sahel.
Even a quick look at Nubia's artifacts reveals the incredible creativity of
its artists, architects, craftspeople, and thinkers. Unfortunately, the
achievements of ancient Nubia are little known to the public and are often
viewed as a subculture, a derivative offshoot of Egypt, Nubia's northern
neighbor. Nothing could be further from the truth. During its over
eight-thousand-year lifespan (beginning around 8000 BCE), Nubia indelibly
shaped the art and architecture of the ancient world, an influence still felt
today.
Ancient Nubian Art is the first comprehensive and accessible treatment of Nubian artistic culture and showcases its vast range-from ceramics, sculptures, and jewelry to tombs, temples, and palaces. Rita E. Freed, curator emerita at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which has the largest collection of Nubian artifacts outside the Nile Valley, contextualizes the development of Nubian art against a vivid backdrop of kingship, power, worship, identity, gender, technology, and internationalism. Her text is accompanied by a foreword by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and sidebars by expert voices from the field.
Ancient Nubian Art is the first comprehensive and accessible treatment of Nubian artistic culture and showcases its vast range-from ceramics, sculptures, and jewelry to tombs, temples, and palaces. Rita E. Freed, curator emerita at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which has the largest collection of Nubian artifacts outside the Nile Valley, contextualizes the development of Nubian art against a vivid backdrop of kingship, power, worship, identity, gender, technology, and internationalism. Her text is accompanied by a foreword by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and sidebars by expert voices from the field.
Rita E. Freed is a fellow at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University and adjunct professor of art at Wellesley College, where she teaches Egyptian and Nubian art.