Lower Nubian C-Group Figurines: Corpus and Context Open Access
Butterworth, Jennifer Ruth (2016)
Abstract
This dissertation examines and analyzes as fully as possible the surviving corpus of clay figurines produced by the Lower Nubian C-Group. These small sculptures were individually modeled in the form of livestock and predominantly female human beings. Archaeological teams from numerous institutions around the world excavated these figurines from cemeteries and settlement sites along the Nile Valley from the First to the Second Cataract over the course of the twentieth century. Dating from approximately 1850 to 1650 BCE, these figurines have not, to date, been examined as a discrete object class although they hold great potential for improving current knowledge of C-Group social life and relationships with neighboring cultures. The reasons for the historical neglect of this artistic corpus are assessed and problems associated with their study are reviewed. To avoid subjective distinctions that could prejudice analysis, as well as resolving issues of diverse identification systems from multiple museums and issues of unpublished pieces, this dissertation introduces a novel alphanumeric identification system rather than developing a traditional typology. All figurines that were available for examination, or for which published images provide sufficient visual information, are included in two catalogs as appendices, organized for ease of visual legibility and reference. A two-pronged approach is taken in analysis of the corpus. The figurines are first examined and analyzed in terms of their formal and stylistic properties, and then analyzed in terms of their archaeological context. Maps of sites, including thumbnail images of pieces from each site, are included in the appendices. Results of formal and contextual analyses allow for inferences to be made concerning the subject matter, represented activities, and some ways that the original owners may have used these objects. The concluding chapter summarizes these interpretations and goes on to compare C-Group figurines, in terms of subject, activities of subjects, and use values, with earlier, Neolithic Sudanese figurines, Predynastic Egyptian figurines, coeval Egyptian figurines, and coeval figurines from neighboring Kerma. A trajectory of influenced is traced linking C-Group figurines to Upper Nubian prehistoric cultures rather than Egyptian prototypes.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction 1
The Figurines 1
Early Influences on C-Group Figurine Study 8
Before WWI: Slaves, Toys, Wives 15
Between the Wars: Concubines, Goddesses, and Childbirth 22
In the Postmodern Age: Interpretive Unease 27
The Egyptian Fertility Narrative 32
Expanding Methodologies, Looking Southward 38
Goals and Methods of this Dissertation 44
Organization 46
Chapter 2. Formal Properties and Technological Choices 51
The Corpus 51
Formal Consistencies 52
Formal Variations 63
Summary and Conclusions 88
Chapter 3. Context 92
The Archaeological Settings 92
Data Sources and Current Limitations 92
The Cemetery Sites 95
The Settlement Sites 123
Patterns and Variability in Style and Attributes 134
Summary and Conclusions 139
Chapter 4. Conclusions and Future Directions 142
Summary and What the Data Suggests 142
Integrating Results into Future Research 156
Ancient Female Authority Roles as Prototypes for Figurines 193
Appendices
1. Catalog of C-Group Anthropomorphic Figurines 196
2. C-Group Anthropomorphic Figurine Descriptions and Bibliographies 270
3. Concordances for Anthropomorphic Figurines 379
4. Maps and Plans of Find Sites 385
5. Graves and Contents 428
6. Sites Dating to Phase II/a or II/b 437
7. Excavation Reports by Site 439
8. Catalog of Animal Figurines 440
Bibliography 446
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