31. Belt with Quartz Pendant

This locally made beaded belt was found in the sacrificial corridor of the grand tumulus K X, accompanying a leather-clad adult in the afterlife. Four broken amulets had been placed near the waist, and a circlet was found near the head. Quartz, the stone of which the pendant is made, had special significance in several Nubian cultures, possibly linked to milk or the sun. At Kerma it was used for jewelry, but also for conical markers that topped the tumuli. The glazing of stones is a Kerman innovation, with antecedents in A-Group culture. This technique was later imitated in Egypt. Faience, a siliceous blue-green material made with pulverized quartz, sodium carbonate and copper oxide, was found in great quantities at Kerma in many forms (figurines, jewelry, vessels). Many such objects were brought from Egypt, either by trade, gift-exchange, or raids, while others were made locally. The local faience artifacts have distinctive marks and chemical composition, demonstrating the sophistication and technical skill of Kerman workshops.