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Nubia and the Kingdom
of Kush Nubia is a harsh desert land that is located in
modern day southern Egypt and northern Sudan that is divided by
the Nile River. Despite its dire living conditions, Nubia,
throughout time has been a land of prosperity fired by a natural
wealth of gold, ebony, ivory, and incense to name a few. Nubia
was not only home to the Ethiopians but home to Africa’s
earliest black culture.Its history alone can be rooted back over
5100 years. There were two early cultures in northern Nubia; the
A-group and the C-group. The earlier group, the A-group (from
3800-3100 BC), developed the Sudanese-Saharan Neolithic, the
first continues agricultural tradition in Africa west of Nubia
in a modern day desert. It was mostly an area with inhospitable
living conditions, but the farmers learned to make use and
manage parts of the Nile River’s annual flood.
However, life for
the C-group (from 2300-1550 BC) was not as prosperous as the
fortunate A-group. The C-group was settled along the Nile, from
Aswon to the Second Cataract, and their agriculture was heavily
dependent upon cattle. As Egypt, to the north, divided itself
politically, those from the C-group began to migrate there and
were functioning actively in shaping the Egyptian Middle Kingdom
(about 2050 BC). During this time, Egypt and Nubia (then called
Kush), grew closer socio-economically. Then, in about 1950 BC,
Egypt conquered northern Nubia, but left southern Kush and the
Medjay people (people of the eastern desert) to be independent,
and it would remain this way for nearly 250 years. Although
northern Nubia was under Egyptian rule, it kept its identity
culturally. The southern Kush, influenced by the Medjay,
eventually took back lower Nubia with the C-group and Egyptian
garrisons as Egypt itself began to splinter again. This would
become what was known as the rising of the Kerma (early Kush).
However, that would not be the last time Egypt ruled over Nubia.
They would again regain their control over Nubia for another 450
years. During this time, Nubia’s culture and customs became
almost identical with that of Egypt. The Egyptians would build
several temples and structures that were used for religion,
culture, politics, or economy, such as Abu Simel. But by 800 BC,
Egypt had splintered into rival states once again, and there the
Kingdom of Kush was born. It rapidly expanded into a gigantic
empire and the Kushites expanded their borders north of Thebes.
As Egypt was fragmenting under Libyan rulers, Meroe, to the
south, was established. During the Egyptian battle and the
expansion to Thebes, the Kushite King Piye was summoned by the
Egyptians to help them fight the northerners. Piye cam forth
from the capital of Kush; Nepata, won the battle, and unified
the Nile from the Mediterranean to Meroe. The victory for Nubia
was due in large part to the skilled and famed archers of their
land. This is why the Egyptians referred to Nubia as Ta-Seti or
Land of the Bow. All was good for years in the Kushite Kingdom
until the sixth century when they tried to stop the Assyrian
advance in Asia and were defeated. This prompted the Kushites to
move the capital south, from Nepata to Meroe. During this time,
pyramid tombs and temples were built to both Nubian and Egyptian
gods. Life would remain constant but changing slowly in Nubia
due to people migrating to the Nile Valley. Pyramid tombs were
replaced by tumulus burials and culture continued to pivot. Then
at almost 250 AD, a people from east of the Nile, known as
X-group, or Blemmyes to the Greeks, or Bedja to the Arabs,
overran most of Egypt and lower Nubia. Later, the X-group was
expelled from Egypt, but they kept a good base in Nubie just
south of Aswan. But by 300 AD, the Merotic province of lower
Nubia collapsed and started to be run by the Noubades (now known
as Nubians), and a new kingdom was born. By the year 500 AD
Nubia became a Christian state, but at the same time, Egypt fell
to the Muslims. During the Christian reign of Nubia, there were
several great works of art created as well as decorative
pottery. This created an awkward religious isolation for Nubia
being the only Christian empire that side of the Mediterranean.
This made Nubia very cautious, with good reason. There would be
several attempts by the Arabs from Egypt to convert Nubia to
Muslim, and by 1400, Nubia would be converted to Muslim, and
would remain that way to date. |
