The Meroitic Period in Nubia

AFRICA IN ANCIENT TIMES HIST 1301 | History The Meroitic Period in Nubia Nubian authority in Egypt came to an end in 656 BCE with the advent of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the culmination of its conquest of Egypt. The Kushite rulers abandoned Thebes and established their new city, Meroe, far to the south of the fifth cataract, as the centre of their country. The Kingdom of Kush's Meroitic era began with this endeavour. The new capital had numerous distinguishing advantages; it was sometimes referred to as the Island of Meroe due to the way the Nile and Atbara rivers flowed around it. One benefit was that its separation from Egypt helped shield it against northern raids and invasions. The abundance of iron ore in the nearby area was another benefit. As was previously said, iron smelting technology was relatively new in Egypt, dating to the early 600s BCE. However, after encountering Assyria's well-trained army that wielded iron weapons, the Kushite leadership learned to value this metal's use in both their economy and as a line of defence against potential invasion. Over antiquity, Meroe's iron craftsmen gained a reputation for creating excellent tools that were highly valued by kingdoms and empires located far outside of its borders. Meroe's archaeological excavations indicate that the location was inhabited for at least a few hundred years prior to the Assyrian conquest of Egypt. At the location, there is evidence of early ninth-century BCE royal or at the very least aristocratic graves. Even though the first residents might not have understood the advantages of the abundant iron ore resources, they would have valued the surrounding environment. Meroe is located far enough south to get natural irrigation from the sub-Saharan tropical rains, in contrast to the lower parts of the Nile, which were noted for their expansive floodplains and little rainfall. This suggested that Meroe's farmers were not totally dependent on the Nile's waters. Alternatively, they may spread out their millet and sorghum crops over the terrain and rely on the copious amounts of rainfall. Due to its closeness to the Red Sea, Meroe developed become a significant hub for trade. Iron, timber, elephants, and ivory were exported from Meroe to the rest of the world, according to evidence from Persia, Egypt, and Rome. Meroe was also well-known for its unique jewellery, which was crafted from a wide range of materials by extremely talented artisans. Wealth flooded back in as the commodities left. Some stories state that Meroe's richness was so widely known that Persia even tried to seize the kingdom and incorporate it into its vast empire in the sixth century BCE. It is debatable if this tale is true, but there is no denying that the Persians were well aware of Meroe's wealth. Records show that Darius I's palace at Susa was embellished with ivory from Meroe. Furthermore, it seems from stone reliefs at Persepolis that a Nubian delegation is presenting the Persian monarch with presents of ivory and exotic animals. Given our many years of cultural exchange with Egypt, it should come as no surprise that despite their vast physical distance, Egyptian influences may still be found in writing, architecture, and religion. For example, Egyptian hieroglyphic writing was used for millennia until Meroitic, an alpha-syllabic alphabet developed from Egyptian Demotic, eventually took its place. In a similar vein, the Meroitic kings built pyramids for their own rulers, precisely as they had evidently observed and appreciated in Egypt. On the other hand, the Meroitic variations were smaller, had blunt tops, and steep sides than the much ancient pyramids in Egypt. Ultimately, throughout Meroe's lengthy history, remnants of Egyptian religious customs persisted, but with a slow and inevitable departure from the original rituals throughout time. For instance, the worship of the lion-headed deity Apademak finally entered the Kushite religious traditions. This combat deity was only worshipped by the Kush people, despite the fact that it was frequently shown in art that was obviously influenced by Egyptian culture. Most people were employed in the grazing pastures and farms. They were villagers living in mud houses under the supervision of tiny family clan leaders. Larger towns were home to the governing family, the aristocracy, and the artisans. Monarchs from the ruling family governed the whole realm. In contrast to Egypt, where the monarchy was often passed down from father to son, the Meroitic kingdom had a council consisting of high-ranking military commanders, local chiefs, and other authorities who carefully chose the monarch. The monarchs were the supreme authority in the kingdom, but their power was constrained by taboos, conventions, and the approval of the aristocracy and priestly class. If a monarch lost favour with one of these factions, they might be ousted, and they were. The role of the kentake, or queen mother, was another. A level of official authority that was midway between that of the monarch and the top officials was exerted by the kentake. On many times, the kentakes themselves might seize total control and even lead armies into combat under the correct conditions. The Roman Empire grew over the Mediterranean in the second and first century BCE, eventually taking control of Egypt in 30 BCE. The Kushite monarchs of Meroe were also extending their influence northward at this same period. Rome had to fight these two growing forces in order to protect its southern border and stop the Meroitic people from spreading further. The Romans are said to have faced an army led by a potentially battle-scarred kentake in one recorded engagement. The Romans seem to have lost to the Kushite armies of Meroe in another battle at Syene (modernday Aswan in southern Egypt). A bronze head of the Roman emperor Augustus was among the many sculptures and other artefacts looted from the city by Kushite warriors. The Romans, not ones to let such an insult go unretaliated, launched a counteroffensive that almost completely devastated Napata. Thousands of Kush subjects who they had sold into slavery were taken with them when they eventually departed. The nature of the connection that followed between Rome and the Meroitic Kingdom of Kush is a topic of discussion among historians. There is evidence that Kush was a client state of the Roman Empire at some point in the Augustan era. Kush gave Rome assistance in securing its border with East Africa in return for internal liberty, giving garrisoned legions inside the kingdom men and supplies. A few decades later, under King Natakamani, the Kingdom of Kush achieved unprecedented heights of strength and creative brilliance in the early first century of the common era. Kush also reached its maximum geographic extent during his rule, extending from the first cataract of the Nile in the north to the Ethiopian foothills in the south. The pyramids built under Natakamani and the rebuilt and reconstructed temples, such as the one dedicated to the Egyptian deity Amun and the lion-headed divinity Apademak, bear witness to its prosperity and might during this time. For the following two centuries, ties between Meroe and Roman Egypt were largely amicable, notwithstanding previous conflicts. But during this period, Meroe's influence started to decline, and the kingdom ended about the fourth century CE. Although the exact reason of its collapse is unknown, environmental deterioration brought on by the over use of lumber for the production of charcoal may have had a role. Because trees were being chopped down more quickly than they could regrow, the land could no longer sustain a sizable urban population due to erosion and decreased soil fertility. The demand for the kinds of luxury products trafficked via Kush also sharply declined as a result of the Roman Empire's fall and economic recession in the third century, particularly for the hardwoods, ivory, enslaved peoples, perfume, exotic animals, and exotic animals that were essential to the region's economy. The monarchs of Kush discovered that their budgetary problems were brought on by Rome's economic downturn as they lacked counterparts of a comparable size and income with whom to engage in extensive commerce of African commodities. The establishment of the kingdom of Aksum may have dealt the death blow. Having been in a better position to benefit from the Red Sea trade, Aksum deprived Kush of local trade. When the Aksumite monarch Ezana attacked Meroe in the year 350, he discovered that the island capital of the Kingdom of Kush had been deserted.