This relief was made in the year 100 BCE in the Kingdom of Kush in Nubia, located in present-day Sudan. It was sculpted during the prosperous Meroitic period, which flourished along the fertile banks of the Nile River from about 270 BCE - 400 AD. Egypt’s major conquest of Nubia occurred during the New Kingdom, in 1550-1070 BCE, and Nubians and Egyptians raided and conquered each other throughout the subsequent centuries, resulting in the sharing of cultural influence. At the time this relief was made, Egypt was ruled by Rome, which was the preeminent world empire, so the display of archaic Egyptian style may have been demonstrating the Nubian kings were the “rightful heirs” of Egyptian culture.  

Nubia underwent a conflict with the Romans known as the “Meroitic War” (c.27-22 BCE), in which the Nubians under Queen Amanirenas successfully resisted the Romans. Following the conflict, trade between Rome and Nubia increased dramatically, which promoted the incorporation of Hellenistic styles into an art which already included Egyptian elements. The presence of Greco-Roman attributes, such as the verism of the dog between his legs further supports the relief’s believed date as soon after the Meroitic war. Another way scholars have determined the age of this object is through the presence of distinctly Meroitic hieroglyphics, which read “Arikhrer” and “qe”, the common addition to proper names in the Meroitic language. Another rare example of Meroitic hieroglyphics from the same time period can be seen in Stele Fragment Featuring Bound Prisoners, which contains cursive Meroitic text. 

Erica Belden, Class of 2026, College of the Holy Cross