£91.80
Historical Dictionary of Ancient Nubia
Overview of the Book
This new book descends from a former combined reference book on Ancient and Medieval Nubia but now expands and focuses primarily on Prehistoric and Ancient times. It contextualizes the foundational roots of human evolution in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic stone ages and on to the Neolithic revolution built on farming and livestock.
Ancient Nubian States and Relations with Egypt
Meanwhile, Kerma was the most ancient African state and their relationship with dynastic Egypt. Precisely, ancient Kerma was a serious political, economic and military rival to Old and Middle Kingdoms of Egypt. But in the New Kingdom the balance of regional forces was dramatically changed with Egyptians defeating Kerma and occupying and colonizing Kush/Nubia for 500 years.
Egyptian-Nubian Political Developments
In the 11th century BCE, the political unity of Egypt withered away and after recovering from foreign exploitation, Nubians began to reconstitute a small state at Kurru with renewed pyramid building. Then, finding no Egyptian resistance, these Nubian kings advanced on Egyptian Nubia and then on to Upper Egypt. Finally, Nubians were able to take over all of Egypt as the pharaohs of the century-long Dynasty XXV. This so-called ‘Ethiopian’ dynasty had the famed pharaohs of Piankhy, Shabaka, Shabataka, Taharka and Tanutamun ruling for various terms, three of whom are mentioned in the Biblical Old Testament.
Nubian Resilience and Foreign Conquests
Even when Nubians were expelled from Egypt by foreign Assyrian invaders, they retreated to Napata to carry on their ancient state for three more independent centuries as Egypt remained conquered by various foreigners for 2,500 years. Most notable of these foreign conquerors of Egypt were the Greeks (Ptolemies) and the Romans (who arrived as polytheists and left as Christians). During this Greco-Roman period in Egypt, Nubians strategically withdrew still further south to the Kingdom of Meroë (from the 4th century BCE to the 4th century CE).
The Kingdom of Meroë
Meroë is also covered in great detail as it was famed for many regnant queens, a unique and undeciphered writing system, iron production, and important monumental works including more pyramids than found in Egypt. Yes, smaller and later but many more pyramids that are still standing in several World Heritage sites in Nubia. After Meroë began a long decline, it was finally vulnerable to attack from Christian Axum in the 4th century CE. Two murky centuries of regional rule, known as the X-Group, were to follow, but by the 6th century, Nubians recreated three Christian states that are covered in detail in the following Historical Dictionary of Medieval Christian Nubia and the Historical Dictionary of Sudan for Islamic and modern times.
