This book constitutes a major reassessment of the mortuary remains
from the two X-Group royal cemeteries at Qustul and Ballana in
Lower Nubia (c. AD 380-500). Since their excavation more than
seventy years ago, and the subsequent flooding of the sites
following the building of the Aswan High Dam, and despite the
spectacular nature of the finds, the sites have received remarkably
little scholarly attention. This book offers the first
interpretation of social life at these key sites, and proposes a
series of innovative, theoretically informed frames for exploring
the significance of the material remains found there. In doing so,
it sheds new light on a culture which, although less well known
than the Meroitic Empire that preceded it and the subsequent
development of the Christian Kingdoms of the Sudan, is nevertheless
of considerable archaeological and historical significance. The
sites present a series of archaeologically unique monumental tumuli
and multi-chambered tomb structures containing evidence of human
and animal sacrifice, as well as a highly sophisticated material
culture. The interpretations presented here draw on the emergent
field of sensory archaeology to address the key issue of identity
formation. It makes a case for the heretofore unrecognised
significance of an 'aesthetic' identity mediated by material
culture. It approaches X-Group culture as a materially complex
indigenous culture that created and altered identities through time
via the manipulation of materials, colours and patterns (the
'aesthetic' basis of identity). This study explores the
relationships between humans, animals, and artefacts. It
demonstrates how a less stable society, which based control on
aggressive public displays, became a more stable state, as power
was mediated by magico-ritual performances, festal occasions, and
the rise of certain individuals. The interpretations put forward
here are based on a systematic quantitative analysis of the
archaeological material from the sites. These analyses draw on
complex typologies differentiating objects according to use, ware,
colour, decoration method, designs, surface finish, contents,
grafitto, location in a tomb, location near a body, etc. Such a
quantification and synthesis of tens of thousands of individual
pieces of data enabled the identification of key trends in the
dataset--the empirical basis for the modelling of socio-political
change undertaken here. The study was undertaken to combat the
limited and unsatisfactory set of questions posed by previous
debates about the activities at Qustul and Ballana. It constitutes
a significant departure from previous work which restricted the
discussion of life at the sites to a limited debate about the
identity of tribal groups and the chronology of activity at the
sites. In contrast, this research demonstrates that the way in
which the X-Group(s) dynamically created, maintained, and altered
their identity through various forms of praxis. The book is
essential reading for anybody researching ancient Sudanese
civilisations. It has a wider appeal for researchers and graduate
students interested in new developments in approaches to the
archaeology of North-East Africa. It also has a broader appeal to
all those interested in the theorisation of identity, the practical
application of archaeological theory to the study of material
culture and the human relationship to the sensory nature of the
sensory world.
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