CHAPTER 13
Nubian and Egyptian Ethnicity
Stuart Tyson Smith
Self and Other
Ethnic identities are defined through real or perceived commonalities of culture, his-
tory, and language, but others can also ascribe ethnicity. Egyptian ideology presented an
ethnic stereotype of Nubians, Asiatics, and Libyans as cowardly barbarians in contrast
to civilized Egyptians. Similar constructs were pursued by other imperial cultures, both
ancient and modern, including the Assyrians, Romans, Chinese, and British. We might
view this as an illegitimate imposition of an inauthentic ethic category for the purposes
of hegemonic control, but I will argue here that the creation of an ethnic “other” is a
fundamental part of the phenomenon of ethnicity itself. This chapter explores the inter-
section of ethnicity and politics in a specific archaeological and historical context, the
interactions between ancient Nubians and Egyptians, through a multi-scalar approach
that takes state ideology, elite expression, and everyday practices into account. I begin
with a discussion some of the problems and potential of studying ethnicity in antiquity,
and justify my assertion that ethnic “othering” must be considered a legitimate part of
ethnic dynamics, however much we might deplore its specific manifestations. After a brief
geographical and historical background, I will then take a practice approach drawing on
the historical, artistic, and archaeological records of Nubia and Egypt during the period
of colonization (ca. 2000–1000BC) and the emergence of the Nubian Pharaohs during
the Napatan period (ca. 850–300BC).
Ethnic identities are constructed through a consciousness of difference with reference
to the specific cultural practices of ethnic “others.” Ethnic stereotypes, in particular those
imposed by colonial regimes, are often derogatory and serve to create or reinforce exist-
ing power structures rooted in definitions of a civilized “self” and barbaric “other” (e.g.,
Daugé 1981; Eriksen 1992; see also, in this volume, Chapter 14 by Nino Luraghi, and
Chapter 5 by Johannes Siapkas). Ancient Egypt was no exception, with state ideology
A Companion to Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean, First Edition. Edited by Jeremy McInerney.
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.