54. Beaded Necklace

These multi-colored faience beads may have diverse origins. Chemical analyses of Meroitic glass have shown that high-lead glass and faience was probably made locally using lead from present-day Turkey, although completed pieces from other sources (including the Mediterranean and India) were used in conjunction. The beads were excavated in the non-royal part of the cemetery between 1909-1913, where at least 297 tombs were found. They were designed in a traditional Nubian style, featuring low earth or stone mounds with pebble scatters and stone rings over the burial chambers. Some furnishings, for instance wooden beds and archery equipment, as well as dog burials in the tombs, find parallels in Kerma and C-Group assemblages testifying to the longevity of Nubian customs.