43. Plaque with a Captive Nubian Ruler

The captured Kushite ruler is depicted on this tile in a stereotypical way with dark skin, reddish (possibly henna-tinted) hair, earrings, bead girdles, a garment with a patterned sash, and his arms bound. The tile was part of a composition in the doorway of the palace area of the temple, which included other similarly stereotyped foes of Egypt. All the figures are represented with various forms of bondage, which was a metaphor for the king’s ability to impose metaphysical order in the cosmos. Simply put, this depiction is claiming that 'the Nubian' is one of Egypt's quintessential enemies. However, such political depictions contradict our knowledge of Egyptian society, which included people from Nubia at all levels. The polychrome tile was made with faience that contained different colorants. Egyptian faience production saw its heyday and an expanded color palette in the New Kingdom, when it was extensively used in architecture. Faience was also made at Kerma and appreciated in other Nubian cultures as a material endowed with religious meanings. Scan the brown QR code below to see other examples of such 'enemy' representations from the same palace.