16. Reproduction of an Execration Figurine 

Execration figurines represented bound prisoners inscribed with spells, and were believed to magically neutralize ‘enemies’. They were frequently aimed at people from Nubia, though not exclusively. The latter were regarded as capable of powerful magic in their own right. This particular figurine was found near the Egyptian fort of Mirgissa in Nubia. It had been buried in a sand pit with three other figures, after they were symbolically ‘killed’ by striking their heads. Thousands of fragments from red pots with execration texts, smashed deliberately, were found nearby along with many dismembered figurines and a decapitated human, interpreted by the excavator as a ceremonially killed individual from a local community. Despite the rhetorical and magical vilification of people from Nubia as ‘enemies’ in these texts, such individuals were a part of Egyptian society. The execration figurines and related finds also reveal that Nubian groups who resisted Egyptian occupation were considered formidable opponents. Scan the blue QR code nearby to explore a 3D model of the execration figurine.