Ancient Nubia: Excavating Treasures of the Nile

Ancient Nubia: Excavating Treasures of the Nile opens at the North Carolina Museum of Art on Saturday, October 17, and runs through January 10, 2027. You'll find it in the East Building, Level B, in the Meymandi Exhibition Gallery at 2110 Blue Ridge Rd. in Raleigh.

The show is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and curated by Denise Doxey. It centers on the Kingdom of Kush, a powerful civilization in the Middle Nile Valley that lived in the shadow of its northern neighbor, Egypt—and that the exhibition frames as Egypt's ancient rival. The display covers nearly 3,000 years across the kingdom's three main periods: Kerma (c. 2500–1550 BCE), Napatan (c. 760–332 BCE), and Meroitic (c. 332 BCE–364 CE). The objects were excavated from the tombs and pyramids of Kushite kings and royal women during the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition more than a century ago.

Among the highlights are the Shawabties of King Taharqa (690–664 BCE) and the Hathor-Headed Crystal Pendant (743–712 BCE). Beyond the artifacts, there's a replica of the tomb of King Tanwetamani and a "Digital Dig" interactive. The NCMA is the last stop on the tour, and it's the only one to feature a staff Nubiologist: Dr. Caroline Rocheleau, the museum's director of research and curator of ancient collections, who continues to dig in Sudan. She's put together a special display for this stop, so there's a local connection to the work that you won't find at the other tour dates.

If you're bringing the family, there's a pectoral-station design activity created by the NCMA's Teen Arts Council, and the digital dig lets you play at archaeology without the actual dirt. General admission is $20, with students ages 7–22 at $12, seniors 65 and older at $17, and children 6 and under free. Members get in for free.