Kerma
كرمة
Sudan · Northern State
In brief
Kerma was the urban and cemetery center of a major kingdom in Nubia. Excavations have documented houses, storage facilities, metalworking and funerary practices alongside monumental mudbrick buildings.
What was found?
- 1Western Deffufa
The large mudbrick structure in the city center and the surrounding buildings formed the capital's religious center. Excavations changed the earlier interpretation of the site as an Egyptian trading settlement.
- 2Houses and silos
Kitchens, silos and additional spaces for household activities were found alongside courtyard houses. They show how food storage and daily life were organized in the city.
- 3Furnace for producing bronze sheets
The large, cross-shaped furnace uncovered at the foot of the Deffufa has been associated with bronze sheet production. It documents Nubian craftspeople's knowledge of metalworking.
- 4Tumuli of the eastern necropolis
The earthen burial mounds were reinforced with rings of black and white stones. Differences in tomb sizes and grave goods allow distinctions in social status to be traced.
- 5Rows of cattle skulls
Cattle skulls were arranged in semicircles to the south of some burial mounds. According to the excavation project's interpretation, they symbolized the deceased person's wealth.
What does it point to?
Kerma reveals a Nubian capital with its own administration, religious center and specialist craftspeople. According to researchers, differences among the tombs indicate that social hierarchy became more pronounced over time.
What did it teach us?
- The Deffufa was identified as the religious center in the capital of the independent Kingdom of Kuş.
- Local metalworking was documented through a large furnace dedicated to bronze sheet production.
- The development of social differentiation could be traced through burial arrangements and offerings.
Images
Record
- Culture
- Kerma; Kushite
- First modern dig
- 1913
- Coordinates
- 19.6008°, 30.4097°
Sources
- ucl.ac.uk
- kerma.ch
- en.wikipedia.org
- Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres — Kerma-Doukki Gel Kazı Projesi
- Kerma Arkeoloji Projesi
Nearby excavations
- Sai Island Archaeological Sites 123 km
- Old Dongola 157 km
- Meroë 459 km
- Karnak Temple Complex 718 km
- Valley of the Kings 719 km
- Abydos 748 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
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HeritageDaily ↗ - Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı
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Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles
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