A Bestiary of Ancient Nubia

Published in conjunction with a special exhibition of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago, this sumptuously illustrated volume examines the many roles animals played in Nubian life, art, religion and economy from prehistory through the medieval period. It showcases how animals were utilized as resources, revered as pets, and feared. A Bestiary of Ancient Nubia features a wide range of animals including lions, crocodiles, ibex, ibises, cattle, insects, monkeys and giraffes. It covers the region of Nubia along the Nile in modern-day southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Ten scholarly essays, each focused on a different category of animals and the ways the ancient Nubians observed, depicted and exploited them, illuminate the close and complex relationship between humans and the fauna and landscape of the Middle Nile Valley. The detailed catalogue presents all the objects displayed in the exhibition. Together, the essays and catalogue offer a thematic study and a visual record of Nubia’s rich animal world.