This monumental cylinder seal is far larger than the practical seals used in Egypt and the Near East, which were typically only a few centimetres in length. Its great size and weight reveal that it was not intended for daily use, but rather served as a ceremonial or symbolic object. The seal is made of...
The pyramids of Kush at Meroë, dating from around 300 B.C. to A.D. 350, are markedly smaller than their Egyptian counterparts but possess a distinctive elegance of their own. Ranging in height from approximately 6 to 30 metres (20 to 100 feet), with base widths typically between 6 and 12 metres (20 to 40 feet),...
This intricately cut copper alloy relief, dated stylistically to the 25th–26th Dynasties (c. 760–526 B.C.), portrays a Nubian male in a loincloth, carrying a basket, with a monkey perched on his shoulder. Its flat back and low thickness (0.8 cm) suggest it was designed to be affixed to a flat surface, such as a wooden...
