Ancient Carving May Represent Nubian King

MISEEDA, SUDAN—According to the Greek Reporter, Joanna A. Ciesielska of the University of Warsaw and her colleagues think that a life-sized petroglyph at the site of Miseeda in northern Sudan may depict an ancient Kushite ruler. A church was built around the carving during the seventh century A.D., suggesting that the location continued to be important to the people of the area. The petroglyph may have marked a border area, like a similar carving of the Meroitic king Sherkarer at Gebel Qeili, but the identity of the possible Nubian ruler and the age of the carving at Miseeda have yet to be confirmed. Large images of a lion, a possible rhinoceros, and an elephant have been found on the hill surrounding the ruins of the later church. Other carvings include crosses and ships dating to the Christian period, human figures that have not been dated, and animal carvings dating to the Kerma period, from about 2500 to 1500 B.C. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. For more on Kushite rulers, go to "A Nubian Kingdom Rises."