In the 1830s, Italian adventurer Giuseppe Ferlini arrived in Sudan and blasted apart Meroë pyramids hunting for gold, even using explosives when brute force failed. His prize haul came from Queen Amanishakheto's tomb: stunning gold and silver bracelets, rings, and amulets blending Egyptian and Nubian artistry, now in Berlin and Munich museums.
Ferlini's 1830s treasure hunt destroyed Meroë pyramids
SudanGeneral
Key facts
- Italian adventurer Giuseppe Ferlini arrived in Sudan in the 1830s and dismantled pyramids searching for gold
- He reportedly used explosives when brute force was insufficient
- His most infamous target was the pyramid of Queen Amanishakheto
- After nearly two weeks of excavation, he discovered concealed gold and silver jewelry including bracelets, signet rings, necklaces, and amulets
- The treasure was removed to Europe in 1836 and is now held in museums in Berlin and Munich
- Many pieces combined Egyptian religious symbols with distinctly Nubian artistic traditions
- The Kushite pyramids were largely solid structures; actual burial chambers were located underground in bedrock tombs accessed via stairways beside the pyramid
Site mentioned
Sources
Giuseppe Ferlini: The Pyramid Destroyeramusingplanet.com
Today he is hardly remembered except for having destroyed forty pyramids. This article was originally published in La Brújula Verde. It has been ...
Giuseppe Ferlinien.wikipedia.org
A pioneer in the sale of Kushite antiquities, he is best known for his destruction and dismantling of various Nubian pyramids in the ancient city of Meroë, ...
Sudan's Forgotten Pyramids — Matt Reichelmattreichel.com
Italian treasure hunter Giuseppe Ferlini destroyed many n the 1830s while looking for gold and jewelry, blowing many of their tops off with explosives.
The Mysteries of Meroenytimes.com
In 1834, Giuseppe Ferlini destroyed several pyramids. As he blew up one of these, the Italian dealer laid hands on a fantastic treasure that ...
the pyramids of Meroe and Giuseppe Ferlini, their destroyerroger-pearse.com
Few people are aware of the amazing pyramids of Meroe in the Sudan, about a hundred miles north of Khartoum, and easily accessible by a day-trip ...
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