The Archaeology of Late Antique Sudan: Aesthetics and Identity i ...

officials by an unnamed king. A “comes” was apparently involved in settling a dispute between three pagan klinarchs at Kalabsha. The term comes is a link to the Roman world, and if a comes was involved in arbitration at Kalabsha, which was under royal control, it may suggest that the ruler of Kalabsha was a Roman client (Rose 1992, 22). The most famous textual piece is the Silko inscription on the façade of the Kalabsha temple, written in Greek, wherein Silko is named as “King (basiliskos) of the Noubades and all the Ethiopians” (Adams 1977, 422; Rose 1992, 21). This inscription gives details of the campaigns of Silko and his victories over the Blemmyes, from Prima (Qasr Ibrim) to Telelis (possibly Shellal) (ibid., 423). Olympiodorus recorded that he was taken by the tribal leaders and prophets of the Blemmyes to Prima, the first city of the Thebaid, saying, “[E]ven now it is so called although it, along with four other cities—Phoenico, Chiris, Thapis and Talmis—has long been inhabited by the barbarians” (Blockley, trans. of Olympiodorus 1983, 199). Two further inscriptions on the Kalabsha temple wall give the names of two kings; Tamales and Isemne. This Isemne may be identified with the Isamni of Meroitic inscription MI94, erected by King Kharamadoye after his victory over hostile peoples in Lower Nubia (FHN 1998, 1105). The inscription states that Isamni instigated attacks against Kharamadoye from his territory between Pilqeye (Philae?) and Shimale (Qasr Ibrim?) and mentions the names of disputed areas, although only one, Faras (Kharamadoye's residence), is recognisable. This inscription seems to show a picture of a politically fragmented Lower Nubia, since eight kings of the area are mentioned. Isamni apparently conquered five groups of people, though only the Nakhabar are specified. Rose argued that these events can be connected with the arrival of a new élite group (probably including Kharamadoye) in Lower Nubia during the early X-Group period, who were linked with Meroitic rulers and who were ultimately buried at Qustul (Rose 1992).

A further literary source for the period is the Qasr Ibrim letter from King (basileus) Phonen of the Blemmyes, to King (basileus) Abourni of the Nobatae concerning a war between Silko (Abourni's predecessor) and the Blemmyes. The letter stated that Silko took land from the