Nastasen
Encyclopedia
Nastasen was a king of the North African Nubia
n civilisation of Kush
(335 - 315/310 BC
). According to a stela from Dongola his mother was named Queen Pelkha and his father may have been King Harsiotef
. His successor was Aryamani
.
(Nu. 15), which was obviously his burial place. He was the last Kushite king to be buried in the royal cemetery at Napata
.
The 1.63 m high granite stela was found at New Dongala and is now in the Berlin Museum Inv. no. 2268. Originally it was most likely placed in the Amun
temple of Jebel Barkal
. In the upper part appear the pictures and name of his mother Pelkha and his wife Sekhmakh
, next to the king.
. Nastasen's monument calls the leader of this invasion Kambasuten, a likely local variation of Khabbash. Khabbash was a local ruler of Upper Egypt who had campaigned against the Persians
around 338 BC. His invasion of Kush was a failure, and Nastasen claims to have taken many fine boats and other booty during his victory.
Nubia
Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
n civilisation of Kush
Kingdom of Kush
The native name of the Kingdom was likely kaš, recorded in Egyptian as .The name Kash is probably connected to Cush in the Hebrew Bible , son of Ham ....
(335 - 315/310 BC
310s
-Significant people:* Constantine, Roman Emperor* Licinius, Roman Emperor* Maximinus, Roman Emperor...
). According to a stela from Dongola his mother was named Queen Pelkha and his father may have been King Harsiotef
Harsiotef
Harsiotef was a Kushite King of Meroe .Harsiotef took on a full set of titles based on those of the Egyptian Pharaohs.Horus name: Kanakht Khaemnepet...
. His successor was Aryamani
Aryamani
Aryamani was a Nubian king-Titles:*Horus name: Kanakht Meryre *Prenomen: Usermaatre Setepenre...
.
Monuments
He is known from three types of objects. There is a stela with a long historical inscription, a silver handle of a mirror and several shabti-figures. The mirror handle and the shabti were found in a pyramid at NuriNuri
Nuri is a place in modern Sudan on the south side of the Nile. Close to it, there are pyramids belonging to Nubian kings. Nuri is situated about 15 km north of Sanam, and 10 km from Jebel Barkal. All these remains belonged to the ancient city Napata, the first capital of the Nubian kingdom of...
(Nu. 15), which was obviously his burial place. He was the last Kushite king to be buried in the royal cemetery at Napata
Napata
Napata was a city-state of ancient Nubia on the west bank of the Nile River, at the site of modern Karima, Northern Sudan.During the 8th to 7th centuries BC, Napata was the capital of the Nubian kingdom of Kush, whence the 25th, or Nubian Dynasty conquered Egypt...
.
The 1.63 m high granite stela was found at New Dongala and is now in the Berlin Museum Inv. no. 2268. Originally it was most likely placed in the Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
temple of Jebel Barkal
Jebel Barkal
Jebel Barkal or Gebel Barkal is a very small mountain located some 400 km north of Khartoum, in Karima town in Northern State in Sudan, on a large bend of the Nile River, in the region called Nubia....
. In the upper part appear the pictures and name of his mother Pelkha and his wife Sekhmakh
Sekhmakh
Sekhmakh was the wife of the Nubian king Nastasen, who ruled in the Fourth century BC.Sekhmakh is known from the great stela of the king, where she is depicted in the roundle. There is also her funerary stela, found in a temple at Jebel Barkal and obviously reused. The burial, where the stela was...
, next to the king.
Conflict with Khabbash
During his reign, Nastasen defeated an invasion of Kush from Upper EgyptUpper Egypt
Upper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...
. Nastasen's monument calls the leader of this invasion Kambasuten, a likely local variation of Khabbash. Khabbash was a local ruler of Upper Egypt who had campaigned against the Persians
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
around 338 BC. His invasion of Kush was a failure, and Nastasen claims to have taken many fine boats and other booty during his victory.
Literature
- Laszlo Török, in: Fontes Historiae Nubiorum, Vol. II, Bergen 1996, 467-501, ISBN 82-91626-01-4