The ‘Qurna Queen’: Reassessing a 17th Dynasty Intact Royal Burial
Resource type
Lecture
Creator (person)
Maitland, Margaret
Abstract
A recent re-examination of the burial group of the so-called ‘Qurna Queen’, excavated by Petrie on the Theban West Bank in 1908, has revealed new insights about these remarkable artefacts and what they can tell use about cultural connections between Egypt and Sudan. Over a hundred objects were found in the burial, now displayed at National Museum Scotland, but the identities of the woman and child remain a mystery. This talk will present the burial's rich and varied objects, and how they've been studied and interpreted over the past hundred years, including through scientific analysis. The ethnic identity of the woman has been the source of debate due to the presence of imported Nubian pottery. Other items from the burial, such as an inlaid headrest, a bovine-legged stool, and rare examples of net-bags are not so easily categorised as specifically 'Egyptian' or 'Nubian'. In the past, many of these objects were displayed typologically as exemplars ‘Egyptian’ craftmanship, but new studies suggest they indicate a more complex mutual influence and broader shared Nile Valley culture.
Event title
Publisher
Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society
Rights statement
In Copyright