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Earlier (Dec. 95) Dr. David O'Connor, Curator of the Exhibition, “Ancient Nubia: Egypt's Rival In Africa,” at Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor stated the following: “However, recent research suggests that large kingdoms arose in Nubia much earlier than is generally thought. Over the centuries Nubians and Egyptians competed for power and advantage throughout the vast Lower Nile region, from the Mediterranean Sea south to the Sixth Cataract in the Sudan. Powerful and centrally organized, early Nubians were truly Egypt's rivals in Africa” Dr. David O'Conner was a curator-in-charge of several Egyptology Exhibitions Worldwide.
Sudanese authorities announced a new field of archaeology studies named Sudaneology in contrast to Egyptology - Sudan TV Oct. 96, Comment: Old Nubian Civilization has been overlooked and its findings have been attributed to other civilization for almost 2 centuries. This overlooking has been shared by our Sudanese governments. Now I sincerely hope this Sudaneology is not just a reactionary attempt and it will contribute positively to save Old Nubian Archaeological Sites and monuments at Kaj Bar and Kerma which are subject to innundation by the proposed Kaj Bar Commercial Dam. Several scholars have conducted research and study on Old Nubian. Except for one single Nubian speaking scholar (Dr. Mukhtar M. Khalil of the Dept. of Archaeology - Cairo University), all others are non-Nubian and their researches and studies are based mainly on findings. Dr. Khalil believes that talking the language itself makes a lot of difference in verification of the Old Nubian Language and scripts. In his book The Nubian Language - Writing in Nubian Script..? which is about to be published in the near future (by Nubian Publishing House - Dr. Shallabi and others - Sudan) there are answers to many frequently-asked questions on this Old Nubian language. The script or characters he used are almost similar to those verified by other acknowledged scholars like Griffith and Browne. The Old Nubian Miracle of Saint Menas Manuscript (British Museum) is considered as the most significant finding in this respect. There is a set of TrueType Nubian Fonts for Microsoft Windows used by almost all scholars nowadays to which I am referring. Another set based on Dr. Khalil's theory is being verified by a Nubian Group (Dr. Shalabi, Sabbar, and I.Abdu - Sudanese expatriates living in U.A.E) which is not released yet.
Greek letters had been used to write the Old Nubian Language. Both the Old Coptic and the Old Nubian used Greek letters but they are not one same language.
“..In my publications, I have always used a Coptic font (as did Griffith and Zyhlarz), simply for convenience. But the Old Nubian writing has a decidedly different ductus from Coptic, so much so that one can easily decide between Coptic and Old Nubian even in the smallest fragments....” Prof. Gerald M. Browne in a letter to Abubakr Sidahmed (Oct. 1994)
“ ..the appearance of the letters is basically Greek, in particular the kind of Greek alphabet in use in the East in the 9th./10th. centuries. Modern editions use the Coptic font, but this is simply for convenience. All one has to do is juxtapose a typical Coptic ms. with an Old Nubian ms., and the difference is striking....” Prof. Gerald M. Browne in a letter to Abubakr Sidahmed (May 1996)
“Prof. Gerald M. Browne is the acknowledged world expert on Old Nubian ....” Derek A. Welsby BA, PhD.- Honorary Secretary of SARS in a letter to Abubakr Sidahmed
Resources and References:
Prof. Gerald M. Browne - University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign-Dept. of the Classics - College of Liberal ARts and Sciences- 4072 Foreign Language Bldg., 707 South Mathews Ave. Urbana, IL 61801
THE OLD NUBIAN MIRACLE OF SAINT MENAS a monograph on Miracle of Saint Menas by: Gerald M. Browne
“Old Nubia: the past,Present and Future” article by: Gerald M. Browne (Egypt and Africa- Nubia from Prehistory to Islam-M.V.Davis - British Museum Press)
The MS was purchased by the British Museum in 1908. According to Dr. Budge's description it measures about 15.5 by 110 cm, consists of 8 leaves of perchament in three quires, and is bound in covers of brown leather (Griffith). The scientific study of the Old Nubian language started very late at the beginning of this century (1913) by Griffith's monumental edition of all available Nubian texts then. This was followed by several studies of other scholars; among them are:
Abel's Old Nubian verbal System (1921)
Zyhlarz's (1928) major publication in the field of old Nubian (Grundzüge der Nubischen Grammatik im christlichen Fruhmittledar) “..which had remained for better or worse the standard text book for those who attempt to learn the language” -Browne
B.H.Sticker's (1940) “Study in Medieval Nubian” and additional texts by Griffth (1928) and Zyhlarz (1932), and the several studies and texts by the most accredited Old Nubian scholar Gerald M Browne (1982 to 1994).
During the Christian Nubian era the Old Nubian alphabets had resemblance to Old Greek and Coptic alphabets. Prof. Browne believes that the Old Nubian alphabets used the same alphabets which were commonly used then, but it maintained its own characteristics as a language by itself. Both Coptic (31 or 32 letters) and Old Nubian (26) had more letters than old Greek (24) either to add special letters with no equivalent in old Greek (the Old Coptic) or to represent special sounds (the Old Nubian). As for today no standard method of writing Old Nubian has been adopted yet. However recently some Scholars are active on establishing such standard, i.e. Prof. Browne, and Dr. M.Khalil.
Recently the Nubian Archaeologist Dr. M.M Khalil has drafted a textbook on how to write old Nubian. His study is based on an assumption that since Old Nubian relies mainly on produced tones (intonation or chanting) then a Nubian who talks and masters the language is more qualified and capable to establish a standard method of writing. The structure and formation of the Old Nubian language is characterised by its reliance on produced tones that is known as intonation or chanting. In this respect the general structure of this language is not a group of words linked by a common syntax to form a sentence. The speaker tackles this formation by putting parts together integrally with intonation and chanting. This takes place without interruption to conform with grammar thus most parts of a sentence are composed by adding a suffix or prefix to the word-stem from How to Write Nubian under publishing by Dr.M.M Khalil (translated to English by Abubakr Sidahmed) Fay Publishers. This textbook has been verified, revised and re-edited by a group of Nubian (Dr. Shallabi, Sabbar, I. Abdu, and Abubakr Sidahmed) and soon it will be published as the first text book on how to write Old Nubian.
Books:
Browne, Gerald M. Introduction to old Nubian Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1989. (Meroitica; 11) PL8572 .B76 1989
Griffith's Old Nubian lectionary Gerald M. Browne, ed. Roma: Biblical Institute Press, 1982. (Papyrologica Castroctaviana; 8) PL8575 .G74 1982
Old Nubian Dictionary: Appendices This volume comprises three appendices to the same author's Old Nubian Dictionary (CSCO 556, Subs. 90; 1996). The first deals with the emphatic particles -lo/-lô, -sin and -so/-sô and provides for each a catalogue of examples followed by a commentary describing the usage. The second appendix, intended to facilitate the editing of damaged texts, is a reverse index of all the words entered in the Dictionary. The third furnishes addenda et corrigenda to M.M. Khalil's recently published Wörterbuch des nubischen Sprache (Fadidja/Mahas-Dialekt) and supplements the cognates cited in the Dictionary. Like the Dictionary, this volume of appendices should be of interest to all who work in the area of Christian Africa.The author is Professor of the Classics and Linguistics in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) and is recognized as the world's leading authority on Old Nubian.(1997 - Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium 562 VIII-86 p. 1400 BEF ISBN 90-6831-925-6)
Chrysostomus Nubianus: An Old Nubian Version of Ps.-Chrysostomus “In Venerabilem Crucem Sermo”, by G.M. Browne 1984
OLD NUBIAN TEXTS FROM QASR IBRIM I By J. Martin Plumley and Gerald M. Browne 1988 ISBN 0 85698 100 1
OLD NUBIAN TEXTS FROM QASR IBRIM II By G.M. Browne 1989 ISBN 0 85698 108 7
OLD NUBIAN TEXTS FROM QASR IBRIM III By G.M. Browne 1991 ISBN 0 85698 114 1
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