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The Nubian empire at its height was one of the largest in the ancient world – a land rich in gold and other resources, with thriving trade. Highly skilled artisans created distinctive and finely crafted jewellery, ceramics, and architecture. And yet such accomplishments are not given the attention they deserve. Nubian culture, often considered second-rate compared to that of Egypt, has until recently suffered from pervasive racism, and the belief that a ‘Black African culture was incapable of creating such impressive works’.
In this history, Rita Freed aims to restore Nubian culture to its rightful position in world heritage, presenting a comprehensive and accessible survey of Nubian history through the study of its art and material culture. She highlights the persistence of Nubian cultural identity, which survived periods of domination by Egypt, and studies Nubian achievements in their own right, rather than through an ‘Egyptian lens’.
The book is beautifully illustrated with photographs of Nubian monuments and treasures (mainly from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston), ranging from the Neolithic Nabta Playa Stone Circle (now in Aswan) to the modern technicoloured sculpture Fantasy Coffin in the Form of an Eagle. Other highlights include a C-Group bowl decorated with incised cattle, reconstructions of painted animals from a chapel at Kerma, the Shrine of Taharqa (now in the Ashmolean), the mirror of Shabaka, the Meroë pyramids, and a Merotic necklace of golden human and ram’s head pendants. Overall, this is a highly recommended introduction to the creativity of ancient Nubia.
REVIEW BY SARAH GRIFFITHS
Ancient Nubian art: a history
by Rita E Freed
Getty publications, 2026
ISBN 978-1-60606981-3
Paperback, £45
