Gold and the Gods, Jewels of Ancient Nubia: Lapis Lazuli, Blue Chalcedony, Amethystine Quartz, Carnelian and Enameling

A world-class collection of jewels from ancient Nubia at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is on view in Gold and the Gods: Jewels of Ancient Nubia. The MFA’s collection of Nubian adornments is the most comprehensive outside Khartoum — the result of an early 20th-century expedition by the Museum with Harvard University.

Double Hathor head earring. Nubian, meroitic period, 90 BC–50 AD; Gold, enamel. Harvard University — Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition

The exhibition includes works by Nubian goldsmiths and jewelers, who were among the most innovative in the ancient world. Featuring some 100 excavated ornaments dating from 1700 BC to AD 300, which will are on view in the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation Gallery, the exhibition explores the royal tombs of kings and queens, which were filled with elaborate jewelry such as necklaces, amulets, stacked bracelets and earrings.

In addition to gold — Nubia’s most important commodity — jewelry in the exhibition incorporates precious materials such as lapis lazuli (imported from Afghanistan), blue chalcedony (imported from Turkey), amethystine quartz and carnelian, as well as enamel and glass — both of which were rare and valuable new technologies at the time. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated MFA Publication on Nubian jewelry.

"The Nubian Nile valley was home to highly sophisticated and dynamic cultures, and their spectacular jewelry demonstrates the technical skill and aesthetic sensitivity of Nubian artisans. Few people are familiar with this fascinating civilization — it might even be called the 'greatest ancient civilization you’ve never heard of,'" said Denise Doxey, Curator, Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art at the MFA.

HATHOR-HEADED CRYSTAL PENDANT

Hathor-headed crystal pendant. Nubian, Napatan period, reign of Piankhy (Piye), 743–712 BC. Gold, rock crystal. Harvard University — Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition

The people of ancient Nubia (known in antiquity as Kushites) occupied the land between Aswan in the north and Khartoum in the south. Their neighbor to the north was Egypt, a formidable state with a rich material culture that looked to Nubia for exotic luxury goods such as ivory, ebony, animal skins, ostrich eggs and gold. Gold was an especially valuable commodity in the ancient world — as it is today — and Nubia was the main source of this precious metal. Gold was also a sacred substance, associated in both Egypt and Nubia with the powerful sun god, Amen-Re. Gold nuggets were worn as amulets in Nubia, and ritual objects made of stone or wood were frequently covered in gold foil.

The exhibition focuses on centuries-old royal ornaments, including both uniquely Nubian objects and foreign imports, which were prized for their materials, craftsmanship, symbolism, innovation and rarity. An incredible range of objects are on view, many of which are extremely rare and in pristine condition, such as the Hathor-headed crystal pendant (743 – 712 BC). This work is the only example of a pendant featuring Hathor, goddess of love and motherhood, on a crystal orb, and was discovered in the tomb of a queen at el-Kurru, the burial place of the early rulers of the Napatan Period (the era between the mid-eighth and the late fourth centuries BC). Cylindrical amulet cases such as this were worn suspended from the neck, and were believed to have special powers. Found buried with the dead, some have contained sheets of papyrus or metal inscribed with magical texts.

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Gold and the Gods, Jewels of Ancient Nubia: Lapis Lazuli, Blue Chalcedony, Amethystine Quartz, Carnelian and Enameling

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