Friday, March 26, 2010

More on Plate 8 from the Oriental Institutes Nubian Expedition

Plate 8 in the Oriental Institutes Nubian Expedition Volume 1 by Herbert Ricke, et al in the book, The Beit of El-Wali Temple of Ramesses ll, published by the University of Chicago also show Nubians gathering up their wounded and dead and fighting back even in retreat.

A closer look at the plate when it is joined with other plates to make the complete picture show Nubians as brave individuals. Other plates in the picture show a Libyan begging for mercy, Syrians pleading for their lives, and Asiatic people giving up too easily.

One plate actually has the king standing on top of a Libyan and an Asian. Nubians are shown respect even when they deliver tribute to Ramesses ll.

The Beit El-Wali Temple of Ramesses ll

Plate 8 is an exact depiction--or as exact as one can make it--of the famous battle where Ramesses ll defeats the Nubians. The hieroglyphic tanslation stresses how overpowering the Egyptian army was. Over the head of a woman with two children is the following translation: "...{T}hey are unknow. We have not yet known {such} rage. He is like Seth in the sky."

From The Prehistory of Egypt by Beatrix Midant-Reynes, we read: "We can feel reasonably sure of the emergence of two early Predynastic kingdoms, one in upper Egypt (the Amrarian culture), where Seth was the main diety, and the other in the Delta (the Gerzean culture...(p. 6)"

The state mentioned above was ruled my Menes who we have shown is Nubian--and when he untited the nation of Egypt, he included part of Nubia in his Egyptian conquest (p. 6).

Plate 8 shows a large Ramesses ll in a very large chariot overcoming fleeing Nubians. A closer look at the plate shows the same characteristics on all of the individuals in the battle--Egyptians and Nubians--with the one exception of Ramesses ll who is drawn differently. These drawing depict Africans--including what may be his two sons who are in chariots behind him.

Furthermore, additional translations state that the Egyptians have shown their power against the nine bows and that they have destroyed the Northerner--both references to Nubia.

What is of interest to me is how--even in the 19th Dynasty--Africans are being utilized to fight Africans (Ramesses ll's two sons are drawn the same way as the Nubians) leading me to believe Egypt was more an African state than anything else.

Plate 8 can be found in the Oriental Institutes Nubian Expedition Volume 1 by Herbert Ricke, et al in the book, The Beit of El-Wali Temple of Ramesses ll, published by the University of Chicago.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The 19th Dynasty

Before the waters of the dam swallowed up many archeological wonders, the University of Chicago joined other teams from around the world--including a team of German archeologists. One of their finds shows Nubians as brave individuals who may have lost in battle--but they tried.

One of the reliefs within the temple shows a Libyan captive begging for mercy, Syrians pleading wit the Egyptians for peace, and other groups in subservient positions--but the relief where the king is getting ready to smite a Nubian captive shows none of this: just a brave man ready to die for his nation.

As I explore the plates I received from the University of Alaska--along with the hieroglyphic translations from University of Chicago scholars--I will begin my exploration to what became of the Nubians after Egypt unified.

Stay tuned.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

How Evidence Gets Destroyed

Bruce Williams in the 80's discovered proof that Nubia may have been the first Pharoahic society. Since then, as stated in this series of blogs and in other publications, Egyptian Pharoahic societies that are older have been discovered.

Unfortunately, where Williams and his colleagues discovered the proof is now under water and has been for over two decades. He made his dig weeks before the Answan Dam flooded the area.

Today another area is under water where the modern day Nubians lived. How much has been lost we will never know.

For this reason, we may never know who had the first Pharoaic society.