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THE SETTING OF AÏDA
WHEN DID AÏDA TAKE PLACE?
Different aspects of Aïda seem to belong to different periods. Mariette may have had the reign of Ramses II in mind but, if so, there are many anachronisms. For example, the incursions of the ‘Ethiopians’ occurred much later, and Memphis was the capital during the Old Kingdom. Evidently Mariette used different historic periods for different parts of the opera.
In many ways, Mariette insisted on absolute historical accuracy in the opera. The props had to be reproductions of the artifacts he had discovered, and six long trumpets were copied from those shown in Egyptian reliefs. However, even when he knew that details were not historically correct, Mariette allowed their use for the sake of musical and dramatic impact. For example, the army was always led by the King, not another general such as Rademès. We know about the musical instruments of ancient Egypt but have no idea about their music, yet Mariette was willing to give Verdi precise “information” about how Egyptian music sounded. He was more interested in having the opera present an idealization rather than the reality of Egyptian antiquity. His stage set for Act I had the pyramids of Giza in the background (a practice which is often continued to this day) but, in fact, they are too far away to be seen from Memphis. Djoser’s Step Pyramid can be seen! In any case, given the state of Egyptology at the time, he could never have been entirely accurate. Precise information about the period was not known until the excavations by Petrie, after the premiere of Aïda!
ETHIOPIA OR KUSH?
The people called Ethiopians by Mariette were actually the occupants of Kush or Nubia, in what is now the Sudan. While it is called Kush in the Bible, it had been given the name Ethiopia by the ancient Greek writers, and the confusion persisted for a very long time. They knew present-day Ethiopia as Abyssinia.
About 2000 BC, the Egyptians thrust their frontiers south of the First Cataract and built great forts at strategic points on the river Nile. By the time of the New Kingdom (1570-1070 BC), Egypt gained effective control over all of Kush to the Fourth Cataract. Kushite workers, soldiers and slaves, were common in Egypt and the gold and ivory of Kush contributed to the wealth of Egypt. The religious and administrative capital of the Kushites was at Napata. (When Aïda asks Radamès, the route by which he will march against the enemy, he replies, “The pass at Napata”.) The Kushites, although influenced by Egypt, maintained their own cultural identity. The actual Kingdom of Kush was founded about 750 BC and maintained its capital at Napata. It became a great military power and, under King Kashta and his son Piye, conquered Egypt (about 750-700 BC). Piye’s successor became the first Kushite pharaoh of Egypt. Although by 654 BC, the Kushites had been expelled from Egypt, they maintained their capital at Napata, and the king wore the double crown of Egypt. Egyptian was the official language and Egyptian customs were maintained. In 591 BC, the Egyptians attained a final victory over Kush who, about 200 BC moved their capital to Meroë (MEHR-uh-wee).
This became a great city and iron-working center which sent ambassadors to Rome. The kings built temples and pyramids imitating those of Egypt but on a smaller scale. They began to write in their own language using Egyptian hieroglyphics. Unfortunately, although it seems to be related to other African languages this has not yet been interpreted. We do know of a Nubian king, Amonosro, who built a pyramid at Meroë. There was also a Nubian, not Egyptian, princess named Amneris. About AD 300 nomadic tribes infiltrated Kush and, in 320, the 72nd and last king of Kush was laid to rest.
Aïda sings of the forests and green hills of her country but, in truth, most of Nubia is desert. Further information on the Kushites can be found at and http://library.thinkquest.org/22845/kush EAO
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