The Meroitic palace B1500 at Napata – Jebel Barkal: an architectural perspective

Abstract

The present dissertation intends to delve into the different features characterising the Meroitic palace named B1500, located at the foot of the Jebel Barkal, the “Sacred Mountain”, near the modern town of Karima (North Sudan). The building has been the major focus of the Italian Archaeological Mission started in the 1970s under the direction of Prof. S. Donadoni, and currently led by the University Ca’ Foscari of Venice, under the direction of Prof. E. M. Ciampini. In particular, this dissertation aims to highlight the most important architectural features connected with the palace by analysing also the context in which it is located. The architectural elements composing the palace in fact doubtless reflect a deep Hellenistic influence and a strong capability of developing new formal elaborations. Some comparisons with other Hellenistic and Meroitic palaces are presented to illustrate similarities and differences between them and the palace subject of this thesis.