City of Kerma |
The city of Kerma is the capital of the first Kingdom of Kush. During its heyday, the kingdom’s territory extended from the First to the Fifth cataracts.
The city was excavated by the Swiss archaeological mission between 1977 and 2002, revealing the complexity of its planning. The city was founded around 2500 B.C., possibly following the abandonment of the Pre-Kerma agglomeration located four kilometres east, due to the silting up of several Nile channels. However, the continuity between the Pre-Kerma agglomeration and the city of Kerma has yet to be demonstrated.
As early as the Early Kerma period, the city develops around a primitive sanctuary and its annexes. A series of cult places situated in the same location for almost a thousand years leads to the development of a complex religious quarter comprised of chapels, magazines, and workshops. The numerous modifications attest to the area’s vitality. The ruins of the western deffufa, centre of religious power, stand almost 20 feet high and still dominate the city today. The seat of political power, on the other hand, is within the palace located 50 metres south-east. It comprises a large circular “hut” (14 m diameter) that must have served as audience chamber or stateroom for the king.
For further information, read the publications of C. Bonnet. |