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In
the New Kingdom (about 1550 - 1069 BC) Nubia was occupied and
colonised by the Egyptians as far south as the area
between the Third and Fourth Cataracts. The end of Egyptian rule
is obscure. It has been assumed that the Egyptians left Nubia at
the end of the New Kingdom. However the title 'viceroy of Kush'
is still attested in the Third Intermediate Period, and it is
possible that Egyptians still claimed control over some parts of
Lower Nubia, perhaps more in land rights or access to resources,
than in full administrative control.
At el Kurru archaeologists have found several burials which seem
to belong to local leaders, buried here after the Egyptians left
the country. Alara and Kashta are the first of these leaders
known to bear at least parts of a royal titulary, written in
Egyptian hieroglyphs and based on the model of Egyptian kingship
(the name of Alara is written in a cartouche; Kashta (about 760
- 747 BC) has a nomen and a prenomen). The next king Piy is
already well-known from a stela found at Napata, on which he
reports a campaign to Egypt. It is not certain whether his
campaign to Egypt had the effect of annexing Egypt immediately,
but certainly the next kings (Shabako, Shabitqo, Taharqo,
Tanutamani) ruled over Egypt. After the Assyrian conquest of
Egypt, Tanutamani still seems to have ruled parts of Upper
Egypt, but they may finally have been driven out of the country
in the rise to independent power of the 26th Dynasty.
The Napatan Period (about 700 - 300 BC) is named after the town
Napata, where an Amun temple was built and where the kings were
buried in small pyramids (the cemeteries are located not far at
Nuri and el Kurru). Napata was the religious centre of the
country. The political centre was perhaps already quite early
farther south at Meroe.
In the visible record Napatan culture seems heavily influenced
by the Egyptians. The kings were buried in small pyramids, with
an Egyptian style funerary equipment (shabtis, sarcophagi with
religious texts, canopic jars, funerary stelae). The Egyptian
hieroglyphic script was used. The exact order of most kings of
the Napatan period is still under discussion. There is a group
of well attested rulers dating shortly after the the end of
Napatan control of Egypt (for example: Senkamanisken and
Aspelta). Some kings dating to about the 4th century BC are
again well-known from long monumental inscriptions
(Arikamaninote, Harsiotef).
From the beginning of the 3rd century BC onwards the kings were
buried at Meroe. This is normally seen as the beginning of the
Meroitic period.
The Meroitic Period (about 300 BC - 400
AD
Arkamaniqo is the first king who was not buried in the north at
Nuri, but farther south in Meroe. Meroe was already in the
Napatan Period an important centre and perhaps very early also
the political centre of the country. Along with the change in
royal burial place other changes are visible. From about the
second century BC the Meroitic script was used. It is possible
to identify some words, including the names of kings, in
Meroitic inscriptions, but it is not possible to understand the
few surviving longer texts. In the absence of inscriptions or
manuscripts in known scripts, it is therefore hard to obtain
detailed information about the political history of the land at
this time from internal sources.
Meroitic culture is still very much influenced by Egyptian
culture, but the Egyptian elements now seem to be used only for
funerary and religious monuments (as increasingly also in Egypt
at the same time). In the Meroitic Period arts and crafts are
very much influenced by Hellenistic arts (again, as in Egypt).
One example is the sculpture found in a sanctuary at Meroe
('Roman bath'). African elements also became more important; the
precise regional relations implicit in these need further
research in the archaeology of adjacent areas. Lower Nubia,
which seems to have been almost uninhabited, became important
again in the first to fourth centuries AD, maybe through trade
between the Romans and Nubians. Imports from the Roman empire,
quite often items of luxury are common at this time. Several
rich settlements (Qasr Ibrim) and cemeteries of the period have
been excavated in Lower Nubia.
Little is known about the end of the Meroitic Period. In the
middle of the 4th century the royal cemetery at Meroe was no
longer used. It is not known whether the kings were now buried
at other places or whether simply there were no more kings.
However, there are indications that the Meroitic culture
remained 'alive' for a certain time. It has been suggested that
the empire disintegrated leaving separate smaller kingdoms. In
the sixth century AD three Christian kingdoms appeared in Nubia
and they might be considered the successors of the Meroitic
empire at least in its northern half
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