Nubia: Treasures of Ancient Sudan
Unknown artist, winged Isis pectoral, Nubian, Napatan period, reign of Amaninatakelebte, 538–519 BCE. Gold. Harvard University–Bostom Museum of Fine Arts Expedition.
Unknown artist, winged Isis pectoral, Nubian, Napatan period, reign of Amaninatakelebte, 538–519 BCE. Gold. Harvard University–Bostom Museum of Fine Arts Expedition.
Curator: Denise Doxey, Curator, Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art
Number of Objects: Approximately 300
Although frequently eclipsed in the public imagination by its northern neighbor Egypt, ancient Nubia has a long and glorious past. There, in what is today Sudan, a series of civilizations flourished for more than 6,000 years. Nubia’s location made it a strategic link between Central and Eastern Africa, Egypt, Western Asia, and the Mediterranean. The artistic achievements of the Nubians include fine ceramics, exquisite jewelry and decorative arts, impressive buildings, stone sculpture and relief, and pyramid tombs.
The Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition excavated in Sudan for some three decades in the early 20th century and was instrumental in discovering the existence of ancient Nubian civilization. As a result, the MFA houses the largest and finest Nubian collection outside Khartoum. The exhibition presents highlights of the collection, many of which have never before left Boston. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has designed the exhibition to be modular, offering the exhibition in its entirety and in various forms.
For more information, please contact travelingexhibitions@mfa.org.
