| Nastasen Ankhkhare | |
|---|---|
%2c_Berlin.jpg) Nastasen (left) making an offering to a God | |
| Pharaoh | |
| Consort | Sekhmakh |
| Father | Harsiotef ? |
| Mother | Pelkha |
| Burial | Nuri 15 |
Nastasen was aking of Kush who ruled theKingdom of Kush from 335 to 315/310 BCE. According to astela fromDongola, his mother was named QueenPelkha and his father may have been KingHarsiotef.[1] His successor wasAryamani.
Nastasen is known from three types of objects. There is a stela with a long historical inscription, a silver handle of a mirror,[2] and severalshabti-figures. The mirror handle and theshabti were found in a pyramid atNuri (Nu. 15), which was obviously his burial place. He was the last Kushite king to be buried in the royal cemetery atNapata.
The 1.63-metre-high (5.3 ft) granite stela was found atNew Dongola and is now in theEgyptian Museum of Berlin (Inv. no. 2268).[3] Originally, it was most likely placed in theAmun temple of Jebel Barkal. In the upper part appear the pictures and name of his mother,Pelkha, and his wife,Sekhmakh, next to the king.
During his reign, Nastasen defeated an invasion of Kush fromUpper Egypt. Nastasen's monument calls the leader of this invasion Kambasuten, a likely local variation ofKhabbash. Khabbash was a local ruler of Upper Egypt who had campaigned against thePersians around 338 BC. His invasion of Kush was a failure, and Nastasen claimed to have taken many fine boats and otherwar prizes during his victory.[4]
The tomb of Nastasen is among several in Nuri that are slated for excavation by archaeologistPearce Paul Creasman and his Nuri Archaeological Expedition using underwater archaeological methods. That is necessary because of rising ground waters in what was the 4th cataract Nubian region.[5] These tombs are under the pyramids and have flooded. Excavation reports of his tomb indicate that it was undisturbed bygrave robbers.[6]
ExplorerJosh Gates participated in a dive with Professor Creasman, which was featured in a May 2023 episode ofExpedition Unknown (season 11, episodes 1 & 2 which aired May 24th & 31st). Among the finds uncovered on the dives were gold leaf, and a bone fragment in a gold toe cap, assumed to be from Nastasen.[7]
Kushite monarchs and rulers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main topics |  | |
| Viceroys atKerma | ||
| Napatan | ||
| Early Meroitic | ||
| Late Meroitic |
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