Art: The Glory of the Nubians

Through Jan. 20; mfa.org.

South of Egypt, in what is what is now the Sudanese Nile Valley, lay the ancient kingdom of Nubia, a cultural rival and one-time conqueror of the pharaohs. World renowned for their gold, fine jewelry, and extensive trading networks, the Nubians left behind cities and statuary as fine as those of the Egyptians — but not nearly as much writing.

In part because of this absence of testimony, Nubia hasn’t gotten its due in the American imagination. But the Museum of Fine Arts Boston has the largest collection of Nubian artifacts outside of Khartoum, and with the overwhelming esthetic wealth of “Ancient Nubia Now,” it’s starting to set the record straight. WILL HEINRICH