Sphinx of Taharqo
Encyclopedia
The Sphinx of Taharqo is a granite gneiss statue of a sphinx
with the face of Taharqo
, a Nubian
pharaoh
who was one of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty (about 747-656 BC) rulers of Kush
who also dominated Ancient Egypt
. It is currently housed in the British Museum
.
, representing here the immense power of the Egyptian and Kushite pharaoh
Taharqo, whose face is shown. The headdress bears with two uraei, the symbols of kingship, and Taharqo's name appears in a cartouche
on the sphinx's chest. The statue is called "a masterpiece of Kushite art."
The statue was excavated at Temple T, in the area east of the south-eastern part of the Temple of Amun
at Kawa
(now Gematon), in Nubia
(now Sudan), during excavations there by the Archaeological Mission of the University of Oxford
during the 1930s. Construction of the stone temple was started in 683 BC by Taharqo.
The statue is a British Museum "Highlight" object and was selected as the twenty-second object in the series A History of the World in 100 Objects
selected by British Museum director Neil MacGregor
and broadcast on BBC Radio 4
in 2010.
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
with the face of Taharqo
Taharqa
Taharqa was a pharaoh of the Ancient Egyptian 25th dynasty and king of the Kingdom of Kush, which was located in Northern Sudan.Taharqa was the son of Piye, the Nubian king of Napata who had first conquered Egypt. Taharqa was also the cousin and successor of Shebitku. The successful campaigns of...
, a Nubian
Nubia
Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
who was one of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty (about 747-656 BC) rulers of Kush
Kingdom of Kush
The native name of the Kingdom was likely kaš, recorded in Egyptian as .The name Kash is probably connected to Cush in the Hebrew Bible , son of Ham ....
who also dominated Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. It is currently housed in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
The statue
The statue is a sphinxSphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
, representing here the immense power of the Egyptian and Kushite pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Taharqo, whose face is shown. The headdress bears with two uraei, the symbols of kingship, and Taharqo's name appears in a cartouche
Cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an ellipse with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu, replacing the earlier serekh...
on the sphinx's chest. The statue is called "a masterpiece of Kushite art."
The statue was excavated at Temple T, in the area east of the south-eastern part of the Temple of Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
at Kawa
Kawa, Egypt
Kawa is a town in Sudan. Located in ancient Nubia between the Third and Fourth Cataracts of the Nile. Noteworthy archaeological discoveries include several Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt era steles .-References:...
(now Gematon), in Nubia
Nubia
Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
(now Sudan), during excavations there by the Archaeological Mission of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
during the 1930s. Construction of the stone temple was started in 683 BC by Taharqo.
The statue is a British Museum "Highlight" object and was selected as the twenty-second object in the series A History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, comprising a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor...
selected by British Museum director Neil MacGregor
Neil MacGregor
Robert Neil MacGregor, OM, FSA is an art historian and museum director. He was the Editor of the Burlington Magazine from 1981 to 1987, the Director of the National Gallery, London, from 1987 to 2002, and was appointed Director of the British Museum in 2002...
and broadcast on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
in 2010.
Reading
- Caygill, M. The British Museum A-Z Companion London: The British Museum Press, 1999
- Hochfield, S. and Riefstahl, E. (eds.) Africa in Antiquity Brooklyn, N.Y.: Brooklyn Museum, 1978, pp. 50-51, 168
- James, T.G.H. and Davies, W.V. Egyptian sculpture London: The British Museum Press, 1983
- Laming Macadam, M.F. The Temples of Kawa Oxford: 1949 (vol. I), 1955 (vol. II)
- Mysliwiec, Karol Royal Portraiture of the Dynasties XXI-XXX 1988: pp.33, 40
- Nicholson and Shaw, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology Cambridge, 2000, p. 34
- Phillips, T. (ed.), Africa London, 1995, p.49 [fig. 5)
- Strudwick, N. Masterpieces of Ancient Egypt London, 2006, pp. 262-3.
- Taylor, J.H. Egypt and Nubia London: The British Museum Press, 1991
- Welsby, D. A. The Kingdom of Kush. The Napatan and Meroitic Empires London: The British Museum Press, 1996