DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.47598#0170
important legal texts. It would seem that there must have been great difficulty in obtaining parchment
in Nubia, so that leather was resorted to as a durable substitute. The most remarkable examples
of this class of documents were found during the 1964 expedition in the area of the open courtyard
on the West fortifications. No less than nine leather scrolls had been placed in a sealed jar which
had been buried under the walls of a massive mudbrick complex (Fig. 5). In 1966 a similar jar containing
four leather scrolls was found concealed in the wall of the northern extension of the same building.
In this instance it was most unfortunate that the seal of the jar had fallen away in antiquity thus
letting in the air with the result that the leather had become hard and extremely brittle. Until some
satisfactory method is found of relaxing dried out leather the contents of these documents must
remain inaccessible.
Something must be said about the much better preserved 1966 discovery. The first scroll to be
extracted from the jar, the last therefore to be inserted before the jar was sealed, and, as it transpired,
the latest to be written, is in an excellent state of preservation. The leather is flexible, the writing
undamaged and completely legible. The inner surface of the leather, probably dressed gazelle skin,
was used to take the thick intensely black ink. It would appear from the line of closely grouped
small holes along one edge of the leather that a garment had been taken to pieces to provide the
material for the document. It is possible that parts of garments were similarly used to furnish the
writing material for most, if not all, of the other scrolls in the jar. It was noticeable that as each
scroll was removed from the jar the leather became harded, more brittle, and darker in colour. The
darkening of the inner surface in a number of instances has rendered some written parts almost
illegible. Photographs taken by me last year with the aid of Infra-Red film have resulted in some
improvement in the reading of a few more groups and single signs, but the improvement is small.
The use of Ultra-Violet light may improve the legibilty and it is my intention to try to obtain
better results by this method when I return to Egypt this Autumn.
Nevertheless despite these difficulties it has been possible to make some progress in the study of the
documents. It can be stated that all are Christian Documents, for each begins with an ascription
to the Holy Trinity. All appear to contain the names of various kings of the kingdom of Dotawo
together with the names of officials and their respective offices. What is of particular importance
is that some of the documents are clearly dated. Further examination may reveal dates on others.
Present investigations suggest that these leather scrolls cover a period of two centuries.
As has already been mentioned, the latest of the scrolls bears the date 1464. The actual writing
of the date is somewhat unusual in that whereas the numerals for 1000 and 80 are indicated in the
usual manner by the letters alpha and pi Π, the number for 100 is spelled out in full ΕΙΜλ. This
last word is attested in Dongolese Nubian and appears in the list of Nubian words in Burckhardt’s
account of his travels in Nubia13. It is also to be noticed that after the usual abbreviation &ΠΟ
M&p for ’after the Era of the Martyrs’ the Old Nubian word for year δΕΜΟγ appears. King Joel
is mentioned as being the ruler of Dotawo, the modern Gebel Adda. His name is known from
a graffito found at Adda, and more recently Dr. Nicholas Millet who directed the final excavations
there before the site was submerged, found a leather scroll containing the name of the same king
and the mention that the Bishop at Ibrim was called Merki. It is to be noted that the latest scroll
from Ibrim besides mentioning King Joel also contains the name of Merkos as being Bishop or
Papas (Metropolitan) of Ibrim. In the Ibrim scroll the names of five other persons holding high
offices are recorded. The finding of these two Old Nubian documents at different places in Lower
Nubia confirms that a Christian Kingdom was still in being during the last half of the 15th
century.
It is not yet clear when this the last of the Christian Kingdoms finally collapsed, but when it did
a period of utter confusion must have prevailed. It is almost certainly the consequent break down
in law and order which moved the Sultan Suliman the Magnificent to despatch the Bosnian garrisons
13 L. Burckhardt, Travels in Nubia, London 1817, p. 156.
105
in Nubia, so that leather was resorted to as a durable substitute. The most remarkable examples
of this class of documents were found during the 1964 expedition in the area of the open courtyard
on the West fortifications. No less than nine leather scrolls had been placed in a sealed jar which
had been buried under the walls of a massive mudbrick complex (Fig. 5). In 1966 a similar jar containing
four leather scrolls was found concealed in the wall of the northern extension of the same building.
In this instance it was most unfortunate that the seal of the jar had fallen away in antiquity thus
letting in the air with the result that the leather had become hard and extremely brittle. Until some
satisfactory method is found of relaxing dried out leather the contents of these documents must
remain inaccessible.
Something must be said about the much better preserved 1966 discovery. The first scroll to be
extracted from the jar, the last therefore to be inserted before the jar was sealed, and, as it transpired,
the latest to be written, is in an excellent state of preservation. The leather is flexible, the writing
undamaged and completely legible. The inner surface of the leather, probably dressed gazelle skin,
was used to take the thick intensely black ink. It would appear from the line of closely grouped
small holes along one edge of the leather that a garment had been taken to pieces to provide the
material for the document. It is possible that parts of garments were similarly used to furnish the
writing material for most, if not all, of the other scrolls in the jar. It was noticeable that as each
scroll was removed from the jar the leather became harded, more brittle, and darker in colour. The
darkening of the inner surface in a number of instances has rendered some written parts almost
illegible. Photographs taken by me last year with the aid of Infra-Red film have resulted in some
improvement in the reading of a few more groups and single signs, but the improvement is small.
The use of Ultra-Violet light may improve the legibilty and it is my intention to try to obtain
better results by this method when I return to Egypt this Autumn.
Nevertheless despite these difficulties it has been possible to make some progress in the study of the
documents. It can be stated that all are Christian Documents, for each begins with an ascription
to the Holy Trinity. All appear to contain the names of various kings of the kingdom of Dotawo
together with the names of officials and their respective offices. What is of particular importance
is that some of the documents are clearly dated. Further examination may reveal dates on others.
Present investigations suggest that these leather scrolls cover a period of two centuries.
As has already been mentioned, the latest of the scrolls bears the date 1464. The actual writing
of the date is somewhat unusual in that whereas the numerals for 1000 and 80 are indicated in the
usual manner by the letters alpha and pi Π, the number for 100 is spelled out in full ΕΙΜλ. This
last word is attested in Dongolese Nubian and appears in the list of Nubian words in Burckhardt’s
account of his travels in Nubia13. It is also to be noticed that after the usual abbreviation &ΠΟ
M&p for ’after the Era of the Martyrs’ the Old Nubian word for year δΕΜΟγ appears. King Joel
is mentioned as being the ruler of Dotawo, the modern Gebel Adda. His name is known from
a graffito found at Adda, and more recently Dr. Nicholas Millet who directed the final excavations
there before the site was submerged, found a leather scroll containing the name of the same king
and the mention that the Bishop at Ibrim was called Merki. It is to be noted that the latest scroll
from Ibrim besides mentioning King Joel also contains the name of Merkos as being Bishop or
Papas (Metropolitan) of Ibrim. In the Ibrim scroll the names of five other persons holding high
offices are recorded. The finding of these two Old Nubian documents at different places in Lower
Nubia confirms that a Christian Kingdom was still in being during the last half of the 15th
century.
It is not yet clear when this the last of the Christian Kingdoms finally collapsed, but when it did
a period of utter confusion must have prevailed. It is almost certainly the consequent break down
in law and order which moved the Sultan Suliman the Magnificent to despatch the Bosnian garrisons
13 L. Burckhardt, Travels in Nubia, London 1817, p. 156.
105