All about the ancient tribes
Nubia was known as Kush for 2000 years The Kushites developed powerful kingdoms. The first was centered at Kerma (2000–1650 BC). The later kingdom had capitals at Napata (800–270 BC) and Meroe (270 BC–370 AD).
What is the history of Meroë in Mesopotamia?
Meroe was the southern administrative centre for the kingdom of Cush, beginning about 750 bc, at a time when Napata was still its capital. After the sack of Napata in about 590 by the Egyptian pharaoh Psamtik II, Meroe became the capital of the kingdom and developed into a wide and prosperous area.
Kings at Meroe ruled Nubia Meroe, between the 5th and 6th cataracts of the Nile, had become the new capital of the Kushite state by about 270 BC.
Around 3500 BCE, the “A-Group” of Nubians arose, existing side-by-side with the Naqada of Upper Egypt. Nubia was first mentioned by ancient Egyptian trading accounts in 2300 BCE.
The Meroë pyramids, smaller than their Egyptian cousins, are considered Nubian pyramids, with narrow bases and steep angles on the sides, built between 2,700 and 2,300 years ago, with decorative elements from the cultures of Pharaonic Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
Around 330, Ezana of Aksum led his army into the Kingdom of Meroë, conquering and sacking the town itself.
The iron industry of Meroe made the city as famous as its wealth and, of course, contributed greatly to that wealth as the iron workers of Meroe were considered the best, and iron tools and weapons were much sought after.
The city of Meroë was located along the middle Nile which is of much importance due to the annual flooding of the Nile river valley and the connection to many major river systems such as the Niger which aided with the production of pottery and iron characteristic to the Meroitic kingdom that allowed for the rise in
The Kingdom of Kush had two different capital cities. Napata served as the capital during the height of Kush’s power. Sometime around 590 BCE, the capital moved to the city of Meroe. Meroe was further south providing a better buffer from the fighting with Egypt.
Nubia was home to several empires, most prominently the Kingdom of Kush, which conquered Egypt in eighth-century BC during the reign of Piye and ruled the country as its 25th Dynasty (to be replaced a century later by the native Egyptian 26th Dynasty). Today, the region of Nubia is split between Egypt and Sudan.
King Piankhi is considered the first African Pharaoh to rule Egypt from 730 BC to 656 BC.
For the next century, the region known as Nubia — home to civilizations older than the dynastic Egyptians, skirting the Nile River in what is today northern Sudan and southern Egypt — was paid relatively little attention.
Meroe was the capital of the Kingdom of Kush, which was ruled by the Nubian kings. Up to 4,600 years old, the pyramids of Meroe were built in the what’s known as Nubian style, marked by steep slopes and small bases. These pyramids are not only striking. They’re numerous — about 200 strong, to be exact.
The Nubian pyramids of Sudan of Meroë were said to have been built by the rulers of these ancient Kushite kingdoms, known as the “black pharaohs”. The five Kushite pharaohs ruled Egypt from Nubia to the Mediterranean Sea from around 760 B.C. to 650 B.C.
Aspelta moved the capital to Meroë, considerably farther south than Napata, possibly in 591 BCE. In about 300 BCE the move to Meroë was made more complete when the monarchs began to be buried there, instead of at Napata. Kush began to fade as a power by the 1st or 2nd century CE.