In this special guest post, Abigail Taylor discusses her work on the royal
images of the 25th Dynasty Nubian rulers of Egypt
"Hello everyone, my name is Abigail Taylor and I am a PhD
student at Durham University, where I am being kindly supported in my study by
Maney Publishing. My research investigates the use and abuse of images of the royal family
in the 25th Dynasty and early Napatan period in Egypt and Nubia.
During the 8th Century BC Egypt came under the
control of its southern neighbours from Nubia, a land seen traditionally as a
rival and enemy, to be ruled by a line of kings as the 25th Dynasty
for about a century. Following a number of brutal military campaigns backed by
the Assyrian Empire, the Nubian kings were pushed out of Egypt and a new ruling
house based in the Delta capital of Sais rose to power. In the following years
many of the images and inscriptions of the 25th Dynasty Pharaohs
were subjected to acts of iconoclasm and damnatio
memoriae, with later parties defacing, attacking and mutilating
representations of the Nubian kings.
Such actions were a common way to symbolically attack and
seek to discredit a rival in Ancient Egypt, and were a political message to
taint the memory of the old and highlight the power of the new regime.
Iconoclasm is usually an action taken against religious icons, images and
monuments that are motivated by political and religious change. Damnatio memoriae is also a destructive
technique commonly used against statues, images and monuments to publicly attack images and send a powerful message about new political realities, to ritually punish, express power, and is always an expression of the current
social and political feeling of the time.
In my project I am seeking to examine the large corpus of
royal imagery for these Nubian kings, to identify the treatments they have been
subjected to in later years, in order to ascertain the nature of the actions
taken against them following their removal from rule. I hope that this work
will enable me to draw conclusions that will further understanding of how the political, economic and social
situations between these two respective territories could have influenced
actions and attitudes towards royal imagery in general, and in particular
towards these Nubian rulers who were of a foreign origin.
Echoes in modern history
Cases of image destruction are not only limited to
antiquity. We are constantly surrounded by the physical evidence of the maiming
of images, caught in the crossfire as they clash with different powers and
ideologies, who use the destruction of an image to express ideological and
political messages. In recent years we have seen various examples come to light
across news channels the world over. An image I will never forget was when the
troops toppled Saddam Hussein's statue during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and
most recently in 2015 we have also witnessed evidence for Assyrian statues
being smashed at the Mosul Museum and the destruction of the ancient UNESCO World
Heritage Sites of Khorsabad, Nimrud and Hatra by aggressors in the Middle East.
Modern actions and events can be seen to have precedents and echoes throughout
history, and this is something that in my opinion makes archaeology a
discipline and subject that is so relevant and important in unraveling the history of human cultures."
Durham University is currently accepting applications for the 2015 scholarship, which includes full fees for three years and an annual £3,000 stipend. Ideal candidates will be undertaking doctoral studies in the archaeology of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean. Interested applicants should apply no later than June 30th.
