الكرو | |
 Pyramid K.1 at El-Kurru | |
  El-Kurru Shown within Northeast Africa Show map of Northeast Africa El-Kurru El-Kurru (Sudan) Show map of Sudan | |
| Location | Northern State,Sudan |
|---|---|
| Region | Nubia |
| Coordinates | 18°24′36″N31°46′17″E / 18.41000°N 31.77139°E /18.41000; 31.77139 |
| Type | Settlement |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | restored |
El-Kurru was the first of the three royal cemeteries used by theKushite royals ofNapata, also referred to asEgypt's 25th Dynasty, and is home to some of the royalNubian Pyramids.[1] It is located between the 3rd and 4th cataracts of the Nile about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the river in what is nowNorthern state,Sudan.[2] El-Kurru was first excavated byGeorge Reisner in 1918 and 1919 and after his death his assistantDows Dunham took over his work and published the excavation report on El-Kurru in 1950.[3] The El Kurru cemetery was primarily used from about 860 BC until 650 BC.[2] The first tomb with a name attached to it is that of KingPiye (also known as King Piankhy) dating to about 750 BC, the sixteen earlier tombs possibly belong to Piye's royal predecessors.[1] The last 25th dynasty king,Tantamani, was buried at El Kurru around 650 BC. The subsequent Napatan rulers chose to be buried at the royal cemetery atNuri instead. However, in the mid-4th century the 20th king, whose name is unknown, chose to have his tomb, as well as that of his queen, built at El Kurru.[1]
Reisner thought that the earliest tomb, Tum.1, dated back to the time of PharaohSheshonq I ofAncient Egypt (c. 860 BC) and predates the Kingdom of Napata by some 200 years. At the present, some scholars (Hakem, Torok) think the early cemetery stretches back to the Ramesside period and date the earliest burials to the end of theTwentieth Dynasty of Egypt (c. 1070 BC).[4] However, other scholars, including Kendall, more or less agree with Reisner's chronology, and move the date of initial use to 850-830 BC as opposed to Reisner's proposed date of 860 BC.[1]
The cemetery is divided into three parts by twowadis. The central section seems to be the oldest and contains severaltumulus type tombs that predate the Kingdom ofNapata. The highest part of the cemetery contains four tumulus tombs (Tum. 1, 2, 4 and 5). Tum. 6 is located to the north, across the northern wadi. To the east of the tumuli is a row of at least eight pyramids. One of them partially intrudes on a tumulus tomb (Tum. 19). According to Dunham and Reisner, the southernmost of this row of pyramids (Ku.8) belongs to KingKashta and (presumably to) his wifePebatjma, and tomb Ku.9 belongs to KingAlara, however there are no written records of names associated with these tombs.[2] Before this row is another row of pyramids which includes those ofPiye,Shabaka andTantamani.[2]
The southern pyramids are located to the south of the pyramid of Pebatjma, across the southern wadi. These are the pyramids of the Queens:Naparaye (Ku.3),Khensa (Ku.4),Qalhata (Ku.5), and Ku.6 which possibly belongs toArty.[5]
As mentioned previously, not all of the tombs at El-Kurru are pyramids. Tombs Tum. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (tum. standing for tumulus), and Ku.19 are all Nubian style tumuli that consist of a rock-cut pit covered by a circular mound of gravel, pebbles, and rubble.[2] This style of tumulus is also seen in C-Group burials and at burials at Kerma.[5] However, the style of the tumuli changed with time. Tum.6 and Ku.19 both have circular enclosure walls, which are sturdier than the rubble piles that topped the previous tombs, and had offering chapels.[6] The following ten tombs built, Ku. 14, 13, 11, 10, 9, 23, 21, 8, 20, 7, also had offering chapels (except for Ku.21 and Ku.20) and had square plan rather than circular.[6] Reisner believed that these square tombs weremastabas, flat topped structures, but scholars Lohwasser and Kendall argue that they were actually topped with small pyramids that were removed when the tombs were looted.[6] King Piye's tomb (Ku.17) marks another change in the building style of the tombs at El-Kurru, he was buried in a vaulted chamber that was both rock cut and built with stone masonry.[2] The royal pyramids built after King Piye's were similarly monumental and King Tanwetamani (Ku.16) and Queen Qalhata's (Ku.5) tombs are even exquisitely painted with scenes of the Egyptian underworld.[6] Unfortunately, both the interior and exterior of almost all of the tombs at El-Kurru were looted, leaving the tombs in disrepair. However, the artifacts that were left behind indicate that these rulers were incredibly wealthy and successful.[5]
In themedieval period, when the region was part of theChristian kingdom ofMakuria, El-Kurru constituted a walled settlement functioning until about 1200.[7] In this period, Christian Nubians carved various graffiti into pyramid Ku. 1, includingmonograms, Christian symbols and, most remarkably, a multitude of boats, perhaps commemorating "some kind of river procession."[8]
Tombs dating to the time of the Kingdom of Napata (ca 750 – 650 BC) and later
Some 120 metres (390 ft) to the north-west of pyramids K.51–K.55, four rows of graves were found which contained horse burials (Ku.201-224). The rows contained four, eight, eight, and four graves respectively. The four graves in the first row likely date to the time ofPiye, the tombs in the second row date to the time of Shabaka, the tombs in the third row date to the time of Shebitqo, and the tombs in the fourth and last row date to the time of Tantamani.[6]
The tombs had all been robbed, but enough remained to determine that the horses were all buried in an upright position. The horses were buried with all their trappings.[10]
In 2013 archaeological work once again commenced at El Kurru. In collaboration with the National Council for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), and partially funded by the Qatar Sudan Archaeological Project (QSAP), Dr. Geoff Emberling (Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, Michigan) and Dr. Rachael J. Dann (Associate Professor, Egyptian & Sudanese Archaeology, University of Copenhagen) co-direct excavation, survey, documentation and conservation work at the site. Much of this work is discussed here:International Kurru Archaeological Project
For other royal cemeteries see
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