Mythical Animals of Kush. Remarks on the Imaginary Creatures and Religion in Kerma

The contribution will deal with some imaginary creatures occurring in the Kerma art. Indeed, mythical animals like criosphinx, winged giraffe and hippo with anthropomorphic body and others were represented in the capital city of the kingdom of Kush in Kerma Classique times (ca. 1750-1550 BC). The features of these mythical animals will be described, and their occurrence will be outlined, with specific focus on the contexts where they were represented. Some hypotheses on their meaning and on their relevance in the Kerma ideology and religion will be proposed.