DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49271#0043
Excavations at Nuri
21
well-known stelae from Gebel Barkal6, and of the material collected by our expedition
in 1915-1916.
a. The kings nos. 1 to 7 of the list. In February and March 1916, the Harvard-
Boston Expedition found two dumps of fragments of statues on opposite sides of the great
temple of Amon at Barkal6. These evidently came from some restoration of the temple
which had taken place previous to the Meroitic period. Among them were pieces of
statues of Tirhaqa, Tanutaman, Senkamanseken, Anlaman, Aspalta, and a queen, Aman-
malenra, and part of a statuette of a certain Thothmes, king’s son of Hash. All these
monuments were in good Egyptian style, and except for the earlier statuette, they were
manifestly made by the same school of craftsmen. To this same school are to be attrib-
uted the headless statue of Amtalqa from Merawi, the obelisk of Atlanersa from Old
Dongola, and the altars of Atlanersa and Senkamanseken found by Lepsius at Barkal.
At Barkal, our expedition also found fragments of two obelisks, one of Atlanersa and
one of Senkamanseken, and an altar of Atlanersa, all in the same style. Finally there
are four other known pieces, a large grey granite statue, probably of Atlanersa, now lying
in the portico of temple Barkal 700 (uncovered by Dr. Budge), the two large grey granite
statues on the Island of Argo, and the unfinished statue in the grey granite quarry at
Tombos (near Kerma). All these pieces, including the Argo and Tombos statues, are
certainly from the same Ethiopian period (not Meroitic). It may be pointed out that
the names on these sculptures include every name in the list from no. 1 to no. 7 and no
others. The stelae of Harsiotef and Nastasen are by general agreement of a different
style and a later date. The names of the other kings found at Barkal are known not
from hard stone monuments but from inscriptions on sandstone blocks from temples.
b.’ Atlanersa and Senkamanseken. The pylon inscription of temple 700 at Barkal
(Lepsius H) as copied by Cailliaud7 indicated that the temple had been dedicated to
Amon by Senkamanseken. In 1916, our expedition excavated this temple, and found
two foundation deposits, one under each of the back corners of the temple, both with
metal,. stone, and faience tablets in the name of Atlanersa. No deposits were found
under any of the corners of the pylon nor anywhere else under the temple. The front of
the pylon has a portico, added probably in the Meroitic period. Behind the pylon the
temple consists of three rooms (702, 703, and 704), the last of which (704) is a small
sanctuary of the Meroitic period. In room 702 and 703, the columns bore the name
6H. Schafer, ‘Urkunden der alteren Athiopenkonige ’ (Urk. d. agypt. Altertums, vol. 3, pt. 1 and 2, Leipzig,
1905-1908).
6 G. A. R[eisner], ‘Excavations at Napata, the capital of Ethiopia’ (Museum of Fine Arts bulletin, vol, 15,
no. 89, Boston, 1917) p. 28.
7 F. Cailliaud, Voyage & M6roc, Paris, 1826 sq., vol. 3, p. 203, pl. 61,
21
well-known stelae from Gebel Barkal6, and of the material collected by our expedition
in 1915-1916.
a. The kings nos. 1 to 7 of the list. In February and March 1916, the Harvard-
Boston Expedition found two dumps of fragments of statues on opposite sides of the great
temple of Amon at Barkal6. These evidently came from some restoration of the temple
which had taken place previous to the Meroitic period. Among them were pieces of
statues of Tirhaqa, Tanutaman, Senkamanseken, Anlaman, Aspalta, and a queen, Aman-
malenra, and part of a statuette of a certain Thothmes, king’s son of Hash. All these
monuments were in good Egyptian style, and except for the earlier statuette, they were
manifestly made by the same school of craftsmen. To this same school are to be attrib-
uted the headless statue of Amtalqa from Merawi, the obelisk of Atlanersa from Old
Dongola, and the altars of Atlanersa and Senkamanseken found by Lepsius at Barkal.
At Barkal, our expedition also found fragments of two obelisks, one of Atlanersa and
one of Senkamanseken, and an altar of Atlanersa, all in the same style. Finally there
are four other known pieces, a large grey granite statue, probably of Atlanersa, now lying
in the portico of temple Barkal 700 (uncovered by Dr. Budge), the two large grey granite
statues on the Island of Argo, and the unfinished statue in the grey granite quarry at
Tombos (near Kerma). All these pieces, including the Argo and Tombos statues, are
certainly from the same Ethiopian period (not Meroitic). It may be pointed out that
the names on these sculptures include every name in the list from no. 1 to no. 7 and no
others. The stelae of Harsiotef and Nastasen are by general agreement of a different
style and a later date. The names of the other kings found at Barkal are known not
from hard stone monuments but from inscriptions on sandstone blocks from temples.
b.’ Atlanersa and Senkamanseken. The pylon inscription of temple 700 at Barkal
(Lepsius H) as copied by Cailliaud7 indicated that the temple had been dedicated to
Amon by Senkamanseken. In 1916, our expedition excavated this temple, and found
two foundation deposits, one under each of the back corners of the temple, both with
metal,. stone, and faience tablets in the name of Atlanersa. No deposits were found
under any of the corners of the pylon nor anywhere else under the temple. The front of
the pylon has a portico, added probably in the Meroitic period. Behind the pylon the
temple consists of three rooms (702, 703, and 704), the last of which (704) is a small
sanctuary of the Meroitic period. In room 702 and 703, the columns bore the name
6H. Schafer, ‘Urkunden der alteren Athiopenkonige ’ (Urk. d. agypt. Altertums, vol. 3, pt. 1 and 2, Leipzig,
1905-1908).
6 G. A. R[eisner], ‘Excavations at Napata, the capital of Ethiopia’ (Museum of Fine Arts bulletin, vol, 15,
no. 89, Boston, 1917) p. 28.
7 F. Cailliaud, Voyage & M6roc, Paris, 1826 sq., vol. 3, p. 203, pl. 61,