Bowl with Incised Herd of Cattle
Ceramic
C-Group IIa (1900-1750 BC)
Adindan
OIM 23452

The area that was once ancient Nubia can be found in the regions we call today southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Nubia stretched over 1,000 miles along the Nile River and, like Egypt, it was a land defined by this mighty river. Surrounded by a harsh desert environment, the river supported Nubian culture and economy.

Over seven thousand years ago, people moved from the Sahara to settle along the Nile in Nubia. Passage along the river was dangerous due to a series of six cataracts or rapids that travelers had to navigate. In ancient times the cataracts contributed to Nubian isolation, but they also served as distinct geographical markers and boundaries.

Today the burial grounds and villages of northern Nubia lie under the waters of Lake Nasser as a result of the flooding that occurred when the Egyptian government completed the Aswan Dam in 1971.

This ceramic bowl was created from local clay and dates to around 1900-1650 BC. The exterior is decorated with cows. The background was incised with a stone to create a stippled pattern. The decoration around the lip of the bowl imitates leather lashing and shows the relationship of pottery to basketry. In Nubia, as inother Africancultures, cattle herding was a very important feature of the economy; a family’s wealth and status depended upon the number of cattle they owned.