Nubia. Nubia, Nubian kingdom, history of Nubia Where is Nubia

The history of Nubia records the emergence of the first kingdoms in the southern Sahara approximately 3000 years before the beginning of our era, the conquest of these lands by the Egyptians during the XVIII dynasty and the formation of the independent kingdoms of Kush and Meroe in 750 BC. e. The Nubian kingdom was located south of Ancient Egypt. The people of this country by the 13th century BC. e. had a rich history behind it. It so happens that the whole world knows about Ancient Egypt, but few have heard about Nubia. And this is unjustified. The Nubian kings were at the head of a highly developed society, had a strong army and ruled the country with the help of wise laws. This power seemed unshakable and in the future could well take the “palm of championship” from the hands of the weakening Ancient Egypt. Now this is the territory of Sudan and southern Egypt.

Life was in full swing on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Traders and artisans flourished, and learned people with unique knowledge in medicine, astronomy, architecture, and linguistics were highly respected. Writing was at a high level. The priesthood was revered, glorifying numerous gods. The courageous warriors, who were ready to defend their fellow citizens in case of danger, were not deprived of attention.

Everything changed in the second half of the 13th century BC. e. It was as if eternal night had fallen on the flowering lands. Rich cities turned into ruins, writing disappeared, lush meadows with livestock were deserted, and the inhabitants of the plains changed their place of residence. They began to build villages on inaccessible cliffs, grow crops and graze livestock on mountain plateaus, reliably hidden from prying eyes.

The reason for such global changes was that sea peoples appeared on rich and well-fed lands. Who they are, where they came from - even today historians cannot give a clear and precise answer to this question. But let's go back to the beginning.

The Nubian kingdom arose about 5,000 years ago in the Nile River delta region. The country was very rich; here were the main mines of gold, ebony, and incense in the region. As a result, Nubia survived many raids from Egypt, Rome and the territory of modern Turkey.

This country was also called the Kushite Kingdom. Forced to constantly be on the defensive, the Nubians still managed to preserve elements of a unique ancient civilization, the monuments of which can still be seen today. These are pyramids Cushites, the number of which is about 290, and exceeds the number of tombs of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, of which about 90 were built.

The Nuri pyramid complex in Ancient Upper Nubia took almost 400 years to build, from 690 to 308 BC

Upper and Lower Nubia

According to recent scientific research, the state of Nubia occupied an area in the Nile River valley and was divided into two regions. Lower Nubia stretched from the Ancient Egyptian city of Aswan south to the modern border with Sudan.

Northern part countries of Nubia called Wawat. The territory of Upper Nubia extended south to the city of Khartoum, the capital of modern Sudan. To protect trade caravans, Fort Buchen was built here in the form of a medieval fortress (1878-1843 BC). This fortress was located near Abu Simbel, the temple of Ramesses the Great.
The eastern border of the ancient state faced the Red Sea, the western - to the Libyan Desert. The Southern Nubian Kingdom was called by the Egyptians, Ethiopians and ancient Greeks " Kush«.

What kind of country was this?

Once upon a time, complex architectural structures rose from the desert sands. And now, mainly through the efforts of enthusiasts, the following have been found:

grandiose royal tombs topped with hundreds of bucrania (bull skull decorations);
numerous funeral chambers,
Art objects and utensils found in the burials of the necropolis made it possible to fill the lack of written evidence to reconstruct the cultural topography of the kingdom.

Nubia (from "nubu" - "gold") was well known to the Egyptians. Already in 3000 BC. e. Jer, the third pharaoh from the 1st dynasty, made a trip to the south - to the legendary gold mines and for ivory. But only after one and a half thousand years Thutmose I of the XVIII dynasty managed to conquer and occupy Kerma - his titles were carved on the local rocks, in Tombos, in the second year of his reign.

The heirs of Thutmose I went even further - they crossed the deserts and reached the Dongola River basin. They took the Kush princes hostage and took them to Thebes. The princes were educated at the court of the pharaohs, after which they were sent home as Egyptian emissaries. Thus began colonization, which gradually put an end to the original culture of Kerma.

The country and its inhabitants adapted to the Egyptian way of life. Temples, sanctuaries and fortified cities grew throughout the valley of the Nile cataracts as far as Jebel Barkal, the legendary sanctuary of the god Amun. The great names of the Tutmosids - from Amenhotep III to Akhenaten - testify to the significance of this period.

Despite the obvious influence of Egyptian culture, it was a completely independent civilization - Nubian.

Website materials used:

http://www.factruz.ru/civilizations/people_sea.htm
http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/vs/article/548/
http://drevniy-egipet.ru/drevniy-egipet-i-nubiyskoe-zarstvo/

Nubia is an ancient country with many mysteries part 1 Nubia is a historical region in the Nile Valley, between the first and sixth cataracts, that is, north of the Sudanese capital Khartoum and south of Aswan in Egypt. To put it more simply, this is the territory of modern Sudan (let me remind you that Sudan is located in northeast Africa, between Egypt and Ethiopia, on the western shore of the Red Sea). They belong to the Ethiopian transitional race. Related to the mountain peoples of southern Kordofan - the mountain Nubians. The speakers of the two Nilo-Nubian languages came to the Nile Valley at different times and may have originally belonged to different groups, but are now closer to each other than to the other Nubian languages. About 5,000 years ago, in the area of the Nile River delta, there existed the state of Nubia, rich in history and monuments of the ancient culture of the peoples of Africa. It occupied the southern part of Ancient Egypt and the northern region of Sudan. Over time, the borders of the Kushite kingdom underwent changes due to numerous conquests by the Egyptians, Romans and Turks. And also for religious reasons by Christians and Arabs. The purpose of the raids was the untold wealth of the noble land of the ancient kingdom. Here were the main mines of gold, ebony, and incense. Forced to constantly be on the defensive, the Nubians still managed to preserve elements of a unique ancient civilization, the monuments of which can still be seen today. These are the Kushite pyramids, which number about 290, and exceed the number of tombs of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, of which about 90 were built. The northern part of Nubia was called Wawat. The territory of Upper Nubia began from 2 cataracts and extended south to the city of Khartoum, the capital of modern Sudan. To protect trade caravans, Fort Buchen was built here in the form of a medieval fortress (1878-1843 BC). This fortress was located near Abu Simbel, the temple of Ramses the Great. The eastern border of the ancient state faced the Red Sea, the western - to the Libyan Desert. The southern Nubian kingdom was called "Kush" by the Egyptians, Ethiopians and ancient Greeks. Religion of the Nubians. The Nubian kingdom was an independent state with its own culture, traditions and religious ideas. Unlike their neighbors, Ancient Egypt, which at that time had a cult of worship of the cult of Amun Ra, the Nubians were pagans, like many South African peoples. At the center of their religious rites were people, animals and nature, trees, water. Also, in the practice of religious beliefs of the Nubians, elements of the cultures of neighboring states, in particular, the mighty Ancient Egypt, were borrowed. They also worshiped numerous Nubian gods. It is known that the chiefs and leaders of Nubian society were buried in tombs surrounded by hundreds of servants, with wealth that they were expected to need in the afterlife. In the 6th century AD, most of the Nubians were converted to Christianity, and then some of them to Islam. The word "Nubia" is derived from the Nubian word "cone", which means "gold" and "nugur" - black. In ancient times, large deposits of gold were discovered in Nubia, which went to the Egyptian market. And it was inhabited by dark-skinned tribes in contrast to the peoples of the north - the civilization of Ancient Egypt. Culture of Ancient Nubia. Using the example of the early development of the Nubian state, it is clear that ancient society borrowed cultural elements from Egypt, since in many respects, including trade, they depended directly on powerful neighbors. Egyptian models of governance were considered ideal for Nubian society at the time. Thus, the Nubians continue the Egyptian custom of building pyramids as tombs for members of the royal dynasty. However, the Nubians are developing their own style: their pyramids are much smaller than the Egyptian ones in scale, but exceed them in number. Most of the pyramids of Nubia were built from the mid-8th century BC to the mid-4th century AD. The Nubian state of Kerma existed from 2400 to 1500 BC. The country received the name Napata in 1000-300 BC. During this historical period, Nubia managed not only to defend its independence. The king of Napata, pharaoh of the 25th dynasty of the Nubian kingdom, Shabako, managed to unite Upper and Lower Egypt and become its sole ruler. This period lasted until 656 BC, when, already under Pharaoh Tahargo, the Egyptian Empire invaded Syria. A retaliatory strike was struck. The Nubian king was defeated and was forced to relinquish the throne of the king of Ancient Egypt and return the lands back to the Egyptian Napata dynasty. During the reign of the Napata dynasty, King Aspelta was in power, who expressed disagreement with the customs dictated by the Egyptian priests in observing the ritual of worshiping the god Amun. The Temple of Amun was located across the river from Napata. And archaeologists suggest that this is why the rulers of Nubia did not always comply with the dictates of the religious communities of Ancient Egypt. The heralding heyday of the kingdom of Kush, Meroe, would last from 300 BC to 300 AD. This time, the administration of the Nubian kingdom began to be carried out from the city of Meroe, next to the 6th cataracts, at a distance from northern aggression. Napata continues to be an important religious center for the Nubians. But now royal necropolises are beginning to be built in Meroe. This marked the transition of the kingdom to the Meriet period in the history of the Kushite kingdom. Over the course of several centuries, the Kushite kingdom developed independently, independently of Ancient Egypt. At the same time, however, preserving the traditions of the pharaohs in preserving records of the reign of kings and arrangement of tombs. The city of Meroe was located at the junction of trade routes along the Nile Delta. Meroe became an important center of Africa, where trade flourished with Ancient Egypt and the Greco-Roman world. Arab and Indian traders from the Red Sea. The Kushite kings even managed to create their own irrigation system, which was able to support the high population density in the state. The Nubians also developed their own writing system based on Egyptian hieroglyphs. The fate of the Kushite kingdom ends in the 4th century AD, when Nubia was conquered by the kingdom of Aksum in Abyssinia, modern-day Ethiopia. Chronology of events in Nubia: 3800-2950 BC - formation of a group of civilizations, Nagada, and the 2nd and 3rd predynastic cultures of Egypt. 2605 – Pharaoh Snefru of Ancient Egypt makes a campaign against Nubia and establishes Fort Buchen in the mountains in the Nile Delta. 2500-1500 – Nubia culture developed in Kerma. 2300-1550 – formation of the Wawat civilization, Nubians raided Aswan. The Kushina state is established in the city of Kermas. 1950 – Northern Nubia falls under the rule of Ancient Egypt. 1826 - under the Nubian king 3 Sesostris, the Nubians occupy the territory of Semna, south of the 2nd cataract. 17th century - The Hyksos invade northern Egypt. The Kushites take advantage of the opportunity to take control of Buhen and advance north to Aswan. After raiding historical sites, they deliver treasures to the capital of Husiya, Kerma. 16th century - the Egyptian king negotiates with the Hyksos to attack the Nubian tribes. Around 1500 - the king of Nubia 1st Ahmose finally conquers Kerma. Lower Nubia was colonized by the Egyptians, and a center of distinctive Egyptian culture was created here. 1100 - After a long and difficult war against the Thebans, Nubia returns to independence with local self-government. 800 – emergence of the kingdom of Husha. The Kushites occupy most of southern Egypt. 730 - King Husha Piankhi launches raids on northern Egypt, which are considered infidels. At this time, in the southern part of Egypt, the inhabitants worshiped Amun, sharing the religious views of the Kushites. 715 - The new king of Husha, Shabago, defeats the Egyptian forces and takes control of the areas abandoned by the Libyan ruler. Sabago declares the ancient city of Memphis the new capital of the Nubian Kingdom. 663 – Memphis (Thebes) is conquered by the Assyrians, the Nubian king Taharga is expelled from Ancient Egypt. The kingdom of Husio is limited to the territory of Nubia, the capital is located in Napata. 592 – Egyptian attack on Napata. The Kushites move their capital to Meroe. 23 - Napata is destroyed by the Roman army. 250 AD - a new stage in the state development of the Nubian kingdom. IV century - Meroe is destroyed by the army of the kingdom of Aksum. 550 – Tribes of Northern Nubia, known as Nobate, convert to Christianity. VI century - the kingdom of Dungul is formed, uniting small state entities. VII - the beginning of mass immigration of Arab tribes, which gradually mixed with the Nubians. 580 – The southern part of the Nubian kingdom of Alva converts to Christianity. 652 – A Muslim army from Egypt conquers Dungula, forcing the Nubians to pay tribute to Egypt. 1400 – After the arrival of the Mamluks, the Nubians convert to Islam. 16th century – Ottoman garrisons are stationed in Nubia along with Bosnian and Turkish soldiers. 1960s - After the construction of the Aswan High Dam, most of Lower Nubia was flooded. The cult of Apedemak in Ancient Nubia. According to the religious beliefs of the ancient Nubians, the image of a lion was the main cult creature. Apedemak became the symbol of the "Lord of Royal Power". In Nubia, the kingdom of Kush, the royal throne was always depicted in the form of a lion. Images of lion kings were painted on the walls of the temples of Ancient Nubia. For the first time, Apedemak became known in the Meroe region, which had its cultural centers near the 6th cataract of the Nile. The main temples with the lion symbol are known as Musawarat el-Sufra and Naga. Interestingly, the inscriptions in Musawarat el-Sufra are made in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and the symbol of the lion was adopted in Ancient Nubia. Sacred Mountain of Nubia - Jebel Barkal Jebel Barkal was the name of the sacred mountain near the city of Napata in Ancient Nubia. It is located on a slight bend on the northern side of the Nile, near modern Karim in northern Sudan. About 400 km north of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Religious Beliefs of the Nubians According to the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and Kushites, this mountain was believed to be the home of Amun. In ancient Nubian belief, Jebel Barkal became the place where spirits are born. It also had significant significance from the point of view of the creation of the universe. The 98-meter-high mountain stands out sharply from the surrounding landscape. The top of the mountain was considered a phallic symbol in the ideas of the ancient Nubians. On the western side, Mount Jebel Barkal seems to be crowned with a white crown according to the religious tradition of Ancient Egypt. In the east there was a Snake with a solar disk. Since Meroe was the capital of the Kushite kingdom, new trade routes were built through it. They exported products to the ports of the Red Sea, where traders from Greece were waiting for them. The town of Meroe is believed to have had approximately 25,000 inhabitants. Among the ruins, excavations revealed the remains of streets and buildings, indicating that Meroe was a fairly large city. In the riverbed there was an embankment, several palaces, the temple of Amun and the temple of Isis, and one of Apedemak. During the time when the center of the Kushite world was located in Meroe, the population of Nubia invented its own letter system. Nubian writing began to differ from Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Meroitic script began to be used, which until now had not been deciphered. This indicated an increase in the cultural standard of living and its independence from Ancient Egypt. Royal burials in the modern village of Begaravia in Meroe date from 270 BC. before 350 AD e. Meroe has three necropolises, northern, southern and western, where there are about 100 pyramids. The northern part of the pyramidal complex is best preserved. Although many of them are now ruins, about 30 remain in almost excellent condition. The largest of them is about 30 meters high. The angle of the pyramid is about 70º. After death, Nubian kings were placed in humanoid sarcophagi. It is assumed that they were previously mummified, however, mummies have never been found in Meroe, which may be due to the looting of the pyramids. The burial chambers contained bas-relief paintings on the walls and were full of valuables. This period of development of the Nubian Kingdom is associated with significant cultural changes and the emergence of a new Meroetic language. History of Meroe Around 750 BC: Meroe becomes the administrative center of the southern kingdom of Kush. 591: Napata becomes the capital of the Kushite kingdom. 580 c: King Aspelt of Husiu moves the royal court to Meroe. Nuri becomes the new site for the construction of pyramids. Around 270: the necropolis for the ruling dynasty is moved to Meroe. 23: Meroe narrowly escapes a Roman invasion that destroys the city of Napata. 1st century AD: Pyramid construction methods begin to change to simpler ones. It is believed that this was a consequence of a weak economy and the increasing influence of the Sudanese culture on the tribes of Nubia, which lacked the tradition of building pyramids. Around 350: Fall of the Kingdom of Kush and the capital of Meroe. The main settlements were abandoned. But the tribes continued to maintain their economy and cultural customs in nearby settlements. 1834: Swiss explorer Giuseppe Ferlini destroys many of the pyramids in the northern Meroeti pyramid complex in search of treasure. 1902: Archaeological excavations begin. 2003: The Pyramids of Ancient Nubia at Meroe are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. History of the construction of the pyramids of Nubia The Nuri pyramid complex in Ancient Upper Nubia took almost 400 years to build, from 690 to 308 BC. It is located a few kilometers east of modern Karim, in southern Sudan, 25 km southwest of the Nile. And a few kilometers from the ancient Nubia city of Napata. In Nuri there were 21 pyramids of the kings of Ancient Nubia and 53 pyramids of queens and princes. The number of pyramids at Nuri exceeded the number of the complex at Al-Kurru. The tradition of pyramid building in Nubia The pyramids of Upper Nubia were presumably built from the mid-8th century BC to the 4th century AD. The period of development of the desert lands of Nubia with pyramids, which were used as burial places for representatives of the ruling dynasty, lasted only about 1,100 years. There are about 200 Nubian pyramids in this area, which exceeds the number of 90 Egyptian ones. The Pyramids of Nubia are divided into three generations: The Pyramids of Kurru, which were built over a period of 100 years, from 747-653 BC. Their angles were much steeper than those of the Egyptian pyramids. The internal pressure in the pyramids was much less. The tradition of building pyramids in Nubia began under the reign of Husiyu, who borrowed many elements of Egyptian culture in the 8th century. At this time, tombs were built for the kings Kashta and Pius. Most of the royal dynasty of Nubia were embalmed and found peace in the pyramids.

Sudan is big. Very big. Until the separation of South Sudan, it was the largest state in Africa. From the northern end to the southern end it was like from St. Petersburg to Sochi. Now I'm third. Became from Moscow to Crimea.

Nubia is the northern part of Sudan and the southernmost part of Egypt. Approximately from Khartoum to Aswan. And almost the entire time of history, Nubia was a common state with Egypt. They had unity and struggle of opposites. The Egyptians are white, the Nubians are black, although, however, they are not blacks at all.

In ancient times, Nubia was known as the land of Kush. And many Sudanese even say that the Egyptian civilization was not actually Egyptian, but Nubian. So or not, I don’t know, but at least they definitely took part in it. And some of the Egyptian pharaohs were, indeed, of Nubian origin. And they have pyramids in Sudanese Nubia, in Meroe, where the ancient Nubian capital was. Not as huge as in Egypt, but there are almost no tourists there.

The Nubians have their own language, not Arabic at all, but now they speak it less and less. The Nubians were also Christians before the Arabs. In Nubia, Christian kingdoms existed until the 16th century. In the Khartoum Museum, the entire first floor is occupied by their pharaonic antiquities, and the second floor by ancient icons. And their alphabet was almost like ours, also based on Greek. Very similar to ancient Slavic.

There are still many Christians in Sudan, but they are said to be mainly descendants of those who came from Egypt in later times. And then there are the South Sudanese Christians, and that's a whole different story. And they are just blacks. And now they are a separate country.

And in Johannesburg, on the other side of Africa, when my friend Mosibudi got her beautiful hair done - braided - her friends saw her and said: “What a Nubian princess you have become!” It turns out that Nubia is famous throughout Africa and is considered cool.

Well, now you know about Nubia, so I told you a little of what I know.

In the photo above are Nubians on camels. There are few tourists here, but there are some. They ride them for money, like in Egypt.

Mountains. Looks like big ruined pyramids

Pyramids at Meroe, general view.

Restored pyramid.

Another pyramid.

Ancient Nubian manuscript (from Wikipedia).

On the pond.

Like wild watermelons. I broke one and found it white and bitter inside.

The remaining photos show various Nubian antiquities that were seen on the road between Meroe and Khartoum. Which is called - I don’t know. It is interesting, however, that there are not only ancient Egyptian buildings, but also quite antique ones. It turns out that they also had a Hellenistic period.

historical area in the valley between the 1st and 5th cataracts of the Nile on the territory of modern Egypt and Sudan, as well as the one that existed here in the 7th-14th centuries. Christian state of the Nubians with its capital in Dongola Old. By the end of the 14th century. inhabited by Arab tribes and Islamized.

Great definition

Incomplete definition ↓

NUBIA

Kash, Kush - among the ancient Egyptians, Nile Ethiopia - among ancient authors) - ist. region. It is located approximately between the 1st and 6th cataracts of the Nile and somewhat further to the south and east along the White and Blue Nile, between the Red Sea and the Libyan Desert. The name N., dating back to the 10th century. n. e., probably comes from someone who lived in the 3rd century. n. e. to the east bank of the Nile south of the 1st threshold of the Nobat tribe. To the indigenous population of the territory. N. - related to the ancient Egyptians, Hamitic. tribes, from mid. 2nd millennium BC e. Negroid elements infiltrated from the South were mixed in. During the era of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. The pharaohs sent to the territory. N. bargaining caravans and predatory expeditions for slaves, cattle, gold, ebony, ivory, etc. and by the 15th century. BC e. captured it up to the 4th threshold. N. was governed by a governor, the so-called. the royal son of Kush. Egyptian influence contributed to the spread of Egypt. culture and accelerated the collapse of primitive communal relations. In the 11th century BC e. achieved independence. Subsequently, on her territory. The Napata kingdom arose (see Napata). By the end of the 6th century. BC e. the capital of this kingdom was moved to Meroe (see Meroe). In the 4th century. n. e. Means. part of the country was captured by the Aksumite king Ezana. From the 6th century n. e. Christianity spread to N. In the 6th-8th centuries. Two kingdoms were formed - Mukurra (in the North) and Aloa (in the South). In 652 it was attacked by the Arabs. Recurring since the 13th century. Mamluk raids and the settlement of Arabs contributed to the spread of Islam in Nizhny Novgorod, which forced out by the beginning. 16th century Christianity. In the 16th century on the territory N. the state of Fung arose. In 1821 part of it was captured by Egypt. Terr. North N. up to the 2nd threshold is now part of the UAR, the rest of the districts belong to Sudan. In connection with the construction of the Aswan Dam, many monuments of Ancient Egypt - the Abu Simbel Temple and others - were flooded. To study and save them, the UNESCO International was created in 1960. action committee with an Expert Advisory Board. The most valuable monuments are transferred to a flood-free zone (1966). Lit.: Katsnelson I.S., Problems of the historical development of ancient Nubia, "VDI", 1948, No. 2; his, Some features of the state system of Nubia in the VI-IV centuries. BC e.. International XXV Congress of Orientalists. Reports of the USSR delegation, M., 1960; his, Nubia under Egyptian rule, "VMGU", 1948, No. 6; his, Slavery in Kush, "VDI", 1964, No. 2; Ancient Nubia. The results of the archaeological work. expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the United Arab Republic. 1961-1962, under general editorship. B. B. Piotrovsky, M. -L., 1964; S?ve-S?derbergh T., ?gypten und Nubien, Lund, 1941; Arkell A. J., A history of the Sudan from the earliest times to 1821, L., 1961; magazine "Kush", Khartum, since 1953. I. S. Katsnelson. Moscow. -***-***-***- Nubia before the 13th century

) was called Upper Nubia .

The name possibly comes from the ancient Egyptian word nub- gold . In ancient times, various cultures and states successively existed on the territory of Nubia, such as the kingdoms of Kerma, Kush and others. The capitals of the ancient Nubian kingdoms at that time, chronologically, were the cities of Kerma, Napata and Meroe. In the 7th-14th centuries there were several Christian states of the Nubians. Nubia was then Islamized and partially settled by Arab tribes. Nubia was a source of slaves and natural resources (gold and ivory).

Story

Ancient Nubia

The history of Nubia can be traced back 5 thousand years to the development of the Egyptian civilization that lay to the north. Ancient Egyptian culture had a powerful impact on Nubia. The first developed communities are found in Nubia during the Egyptian First Dynasty (3100-2890 BC). Around 2500 BC e. the Egyptians began to move south, and from them comes most of our knowledge of Nubia, the northern part of which the Egyptians called Uauat and the southern part Kush. The strongest Nubian political entity at that time had its center in Kerma.

Egyptian expansion was temporarily stopped by the decline of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and the invasion of the Hyksos, who became allies of the Nubians. After the establishment of the New Kingdom by 1550 BC. e. Egyptian expansion resumed, but this time it met with organized opposition. Historians are not sure whether this resistance came from individual cities or from one united empire. There is also ongoing debate as to whether statehood was founded by local residents or brought in from Egypt.

As a result of the Egyptian invasion, the region again became the possession of Egypt under the control of Egypt, whose army maintained power thanks to a number of fortresses, some of which were built during the Middle Kingdom (for example, Buchen). Nubia, up to the fourth and fifth cataracts of the Nile, was included in Egypt during the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom and was subordinated for five centuries to the pharaoh's governors, who bore the title of the royal son of Kush. With the collapse of the New Kingdom around 1070. BC. Kush became an independent state with its capital at Napata.

Kushite Kingdom (Napata)

The territory of Upper Nubia from Meroe to the third cataract of the Nile was united under the rule of Alara in the period around 780-755 BC. e. Alara was considered the founder of the Nubian royal dynasty by his successors, the XXV, Kushite dynasty of Egypt. The kingdom increased its sphere of influence, and during the reign of Kashta, a follower of Alara, dominated southern Egypt, the region of Elephantine and even Thebes. Kashta forced Shepenupet I, the half-sister of Pharaoh Takelot III, who served as the Divine Wife of Amun, to recognize his daughter Amenirdis I as his heir. After this event, Thebes came under the de facto control of Napata. The power of the kingdom reached its highest point during the reign of Piankha, successor to Kashte, who conquered all of Egypt by the age of 20, and marked the beginning of the XXV Dynasty.

Kush again became a separate state from Egypt when the Assyrians invaded Egypt in 671 BC. e. The last Kushite king to attempt to regain control of Egypt was Tanuatamun, who was soundly defeated by the Assyrians in 664 BC. e. After this, the influence of the kingdom in Egypt began to decline and ceased by 656 BC. e. when Psammetichus I, founder of the XXVI Dynasty, united all of Egypt under his rule. In 591 BC. e. The Egyptians, under the leadership of Psammetichus II, invaded Kush, possibly because the ruler of Kush, Aspelta, was preparing an invasion of Egypt, sacked and burned Napata.

Meroitic kingdom

Pyramids at Meroe.

Various historical sources indicate that Aspelta's followers moved the capital to Meroe, far south of Napata. The exact timing of the transfer remains unclear, but many historians believe it occurred during Aspelta's reign, in response to the Egyptian invasion of lower Nubia. Other historians believe that the transfer of the kingdom to the south was associated with iron mining - around Meroe, unlike Napata, there were extensive forests that could serve as a source of fuel for blast furnaces. In addition, the arrival of Greek traders in the region meant that the Kushites were less dependent on the Nile trade route and could now trade with the Greek colonies on the Red Sea coast.

An alternative theory states that there were two separate but closely related states, centered on Napata and Meroe. The state with its capital in Meroe gradually eclipsed its northern neighbor. Nothing resembling a royal residence has been found north of Meroe, and Napata may have been only a religious center. However, Napata certainly remained an important center, with kings being crowned and buried there even during periods when they lived in Meroe.

The final transfer of the capital to Meroe occurred around 300 BC. e., when monarchs began to be buried there, and not in Napata. There is a theory that this transfer reflects the liberation of the monarchs from the power of the priests of Napata. According to Diodorus Siculus, the priests ordered a Meroitic ruler named Ergamenes to commit suicide, however, he flouted tradition and executed the priests instead.

In the early period, the Nubians used Egyptian hieroglyphs, but during the Meroitic period a new, still incompletely deciphered Meroitic script was developed, which was used to write the Meroitic language. The country traded with its neighbors and continued to build monuments and tombs.

In 23, the Roman prefect of Egypt, Gaius Petronius, invaded Nubia in response to a Nubian attack on southern Egypt. He plundered the north of the country, including Napata, and returned to Egypt.

Christian Nubia

By the 7th century AD e. Nubia consisted of small scattered Christian kingdoms (Aloa, Mukurra, Nobatia) and possessions.

Muslim Nubia

As a result of the Arab conquests, Nubia found itself cut off from all contacts with Byzantium and, in general, with the entire Christian world. And yet, for many centuries, she managed to hold back the Islamic offensive and maintain her Christianity and her political independence. Nubia remained a Christian region until the end of the Middle Ages.

The Nubian Church was ruled by the Coptic Egyptian Church. All bishops were appointed directly by the Cairo patriarch and were responsible only to him. The Church in Nubia was not organized as an autocephalous or even autonomous national entity: it was seen as part of the Coptic Church. As a result, due to this Cairo control, the Nubian Church was unable to develop among the people a sense of ethnic solidarity, which was usually a decisive factor for the survival of autocephalous national churches. When Nubian Christianity was faced with changes in political and social structure, much-needed organizational unity could not be realized. Another important factor contributing to the slow death and eventual disappearance of Christianity south of Aswan was the inability of the Nubian Church to maintain ongoing contact with the Christian world beyond its borders.

Although the Nubian Church was subordinate to Cairo, Coptic did not become its main liturgical language. It is interesting that the Nubian Eucharist (a slightly modified version of the liturgy of St. Mark) until the 12th century. served in Greek. But in parallel, starting from the 9th century, the Old Nubian language began to be used. Monasticism, which played an important role in the Egyptian Church, was a very little-known phenomenon in Nubia: archaeological excavations have discovered only a small handful of monasteries in the entire vast country. This was also an indicator of a certain weakness of the Nubian Church.

The main factor in the Islamization of Nubia was the beginning of the 10th century. the process of purchasing fertile lands in the north of the country by Egyptian Arabs, which ultimately led to the de facto independence of these lands from the central authorities. Gradually, Arab Muslim settlements moved south. The population mixed through marriages; It is interesting that in such cases, as a rule, the faith of the newcomers was chosen.

In 1323, the ruler of Makuria, the largest of the Nubian kingdoms, converted to Islam. Gradually the population followed their ruler. Alois remained a Christian state until the beginning of the 16th century. It was in this century that all of Nubia came under the control of Islamic rulers, and the ancient kingdom became an integral part of the Arab and Islamic world.

Notes

Literature

Trips

Burckhardt, “Travels in Nubia” (L., 1819; appended translation of extracts from Arab historians)
Light, "Travels in Egypt and Nubia"
Belzoni, "Voyage en Egypte et en Nubie"
Caillaux, "V. à Meroe" (1826)
Senkowski, in "Annales des voyages" (XII)
Rüppel, "Reisen in Nubien etc." (1829)
Hoskins, "Travels in Ethiopia" (1833, important for archaeology)
Norov, “Travel through Egypt and Nubia” (St. Petersburg, 1840; important for Christian archaeology)
Lepsius, “Briefe aus Aegypten und Aethiopien” (B., 1852)
Abeken, “Rapports sur les résultats de l’expédition prussienne dans la Haute N.” (“Revue archéol.”, III, 1)
Combes, "Voyage en Egypte et en Nubie" (1846)
Roberts, "Egypt and Nubia" (1846)
Rafalovich, in “Note. Russian Geogr. General." (IV, 1)
Tsenkovsky, “Izvestia” of the same general. (1850)
Ampère, "La N." (“Revue de D. Mondes”, 1849)
Hartmann, in "Ann. d. Voy." (1863) and many others. etc. b)

Story

Quatremère, “Mém. s. la Nubie” (“M. s. l’Egypte” II, 1811)
A. V. Rozov. "Christian Nubia. Sources for the history of Christianity in Nubia" (Kyiv, 1890)
Revillout, “Mém. s. les Blemmyes" (Par., 1874-87) and articles in the "Revue Egyptologique"