Sedeinga pyramids
Northern State, Sudan | |
Region | Nubia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 20°26′11.18″N 30°20′2.04″E / 20.4364389°N 30.3339000°E |
Type | Settlement |
Site notes | |
Condition | restored |
The Sedeinga pyramids are a group of at least 80 small pyramids near Sedeinga, Sudan, built ca. 1 BCE.[1] They were discovered between 2009 and 2012[2] and date to the time of the Kingdom of Kush, an ancient kingdom in Nubia. They range in size from about 6.7 metres (22 ft) to 75 centimetres (30 in) wide.[2]
Location
The Sedeinga pyramid site is located in northern Sudan on the west bank of the
Pyramids
The pyramid site consists of thousands of burial chambers including the bases of at least 80 small pyramids dating to late Meroitic period of the Kingdom of Kush.
Artifacts
In April 2018, archeologists announced the discovery of a large number of stone funerary inscriptions in the Sedeinga necropolis. The stone inscriptions constitute the largest collection of texts ever discovered written in Meroitic, which one of the oldest known writing systems of Africa. [3][5][6][1]
Many of the artifacts unearthed at the Sedeinga site are in remarkably good condition, with some steles conserving their blue pigment.[1]
One particularly notable find was a chapel lintel with a representation of the Egyptian goddess Maat. The lintel was noteworthy for being the first known representation of Maat with distinctive features from traditional Egyptian types.[1]
Numerous Sedeinga artifacts were dedicated to high-ranking women, emphasizing the fact that Nubia was a matrilineal society.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e ARTIFICA. "Ancient Nubia (present-day Sudan) : In the footsteps of the Napata and Meroe kingdoms - CNRS Web site - CNRS". www2.cnrs.fr (in French). Retrieved 2018-04-13.
- ^ a b Jarus, Owen (7 February 2013). "35 Ancient Pyramids Discovered in Sudan". foxnews.com. Fox News. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
- ^ a b c "Nubian Stone Tablets Unearthed in African 'City of the Dead'". Live Science. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
- ^ a b Powell, Erica A. "Miniature Pyramids of Sudan." Archaeology. Archaeology, July & Aug. 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.
- ^ Saraceni, Jessica E. "Cache of Meroitic Texts Recovered in Sudan - Archaeology Magazine". www.archaeology.org. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
- ^ "Ongoing digs reveal text from oldest-written black African language". Newsweek. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2018-04-13.