History of Nubia 1500BC to 500AD
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Nubia
1500BC
For centuries, the land of Nubia has been coming increasingly under the influence of its great northern neighbour, Egypt. When Egypt has been united and powerful, this influence has taken the form of outright conquest, at least in the north of the region.
Egyptian colonies have been planted along the river Nile, and the outlying tribes, herding their cattle on the grasslands away from the river, have owed a loose allegience to the Egyptians, and traded with the Egyptian merchants in the towns.
Nubia 1000BC »
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Middle East
The powerful Bronze Age empires of Egypt, the Mitanni, the Hittites and Babylonia dominate the Middle East
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Egypt
The civilization of Ancient Egypt is entering one of the most glorious periods of its history
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Africa
While the civilization of Ancient Egypt reaches new heights, farming based on new tropical plants is being pioneered south of the Sahara
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Nubia
1000BC
During the period of the New Kingdom in Egypt, much of Nubia came under the direct rule of the Egyptian government. Egyptian colonies, trading posts and garrisons were established, from which the Egyptians exercised a tight control over the country. The chiefs of the pastoral tribes which roamed the grasslands away from the river were given Egyptian titles and became client princes in an Egyptian-controlled system of indirect rule. A major purpose of this system was for Egypt to control the valuable mines and trade routes which ran through this region.
With the decline of Egyptian power in the past couple of centuries, the Egyptian ruling class has remained in place, and Nubia has become the seat of independent kings, with a court and culture very similar to that of their northern neighbours.
« Nubia 1500BC | Nubia 500BC »
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Middle East
Invasions have devastated the old centres of civilization, but important new developments, such as the use of iron, the appearance of the alphabet and the rise of Israel, with its monotheistic religion, have taken place
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Egypt
After centuries of greatness, the civilization of Ancient Egypt has now entered a long period of decline.
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Africa
Farming and cattle herding is spreading in western and central Africa
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Arabia
The camel has been domesticated, and trade routes now cross the great deserts of Arabia
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Nubia
500BC
In 730 BC the king of Nubia conquered Egypt, founding the 25th dynasty of pharaohs. This line of Nubian pharaohs lasted for about 60 years before being driven back into Nubia by an invasion from Assyria (670 BC). Here they have continued to rule a powerful kingdom, at first based on Napata, the old capital, and then, after 593 BC, when Napata was sacked by an Egyptian invasion, at Meroe, in the south.
The ruling class of Nubia remains notably Egyptianized. The kings continue to call themselves Lords of Upper and Lower Egypt, the traditional titles of the Egyptian pharaoh. The court continues to use the Egyptian language and script, and Egyptian gods are worshipped in the Egyptian-style temples. The move south, however, symbolizes Nubia's growing freedom from its past as its civilization begins to develop in its own distinctive way.
« Nubia 1000BC | Nubia 200BC »
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Middle East
A succession of great empires - the Assyrian, the Babylonian, and now the Persian - have dominated the Middle East for the past few centuries
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Egypt
Its ancient glories now in the past, Egypt is now just another province within the Persian empire
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Arabia
Arabia, a region of flourishing civilization and desert nomads
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Africa
Bantu farmers from West Africa are beginning to spread out across the continent
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Nubia
200BC
Meroe, the new heartland of the Nubian kingdom, is far enough south to receive tropical rains in the summer, and crops of sorghum and millet can be grown without the need for irrigation. A mixed agriculture of crop-growing and cattle-rearing flourishes well beyond the near confines of the river Nile, and forms the economic base of the Nubian kingdom.
In other ways, too, Nubian culture and society is moving away from Egyptian models. The local language has replaced Egyptian at court, and an alphabet (as yet undeciphered) has been developed for it. In religion, the Nubians are adding their own gods, notably the lion god, Apedemek. In art, Nubian motifs are becoming more important, with African animals playing a larger part, and in architecture, the kings are being buried under distinctive Nubian-style pyramids – centuries after the last pyramid was built in Egypt.
« Nubia 500BC | Nubia 30BC »
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Middle East
The conquests of Alexander the Great have reshaped the map of the Middle East, and Greek-speaking kingdoms, founded by Alexander's generals, now cover the region
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Egypt
Egypt is now ruled by monarchs descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals
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Arabia
Trade caravans bring precious spices across the desert from southern Arabia
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Africa
Trade routes across the Sahara desert are being pioneered, while, to the south, Bantu farmers continue their swift expansion across the continent
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Nubia
30BC
The Red Sea trade is increasingly important as the international maritime trade between India and the west grows. Nubia’s trade goods are ivory, leopard skins, slaves, ostrich feathers, ebony and gold. The sources of this trade, hunting and mining, and the trade itself, are under the direct control of the king, and the kingdom is reaching a height of prosperity.
« Nubia 200BC | Nubia 200AD »
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Middle East
The Middle East is now divided between the Roman and Parthian empires
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Egypt
Egyptian independence has come to an end with the death of its famous queen, Cleopatra
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Arabia
Arabian civilization reaches a height of prosperity
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Africa
North Africa has all fallen under Roman rule, while in central Africa the Bantu expansion continues
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Nubia
200AD
The kingdom of Nubia has retained its independence from Rome, despite a couple of Roman incursions into the country under the early Roman emperors. By now, relations are good, and trade is flourishing.
The kingdom grew in power and wealth, and Nubia reached a peak of prosperity under king Netekamani (12 BC – AD 12). By now, however, its economy is probably in decline. Its international trade, based on the Red Sea routes, is losing out to the rising power of Aksum. At home, deforestation, due in part to the large iron industry's demands for wood fuel, is reducing soil fertility and undermining settled agriculture; semi-nomadic cattle herders are becoming more populous and spreading over a wider area. Also, the growing shortage of trees is affecting the iron industry itself.
« Nubia 30BC | Nubia 500AD »
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Middle East
One small part of the region, Judaea, has given birth to the new religion of Christianity, but has also seen the dispersal of the Jewish people from their homeland
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Egypt
Egypt is a province of the Roman empire
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Arabia
The civilization of southern Arabia is in decline
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Africa
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Ethiopia
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Nubia
500AD
Continual environmental and economic decline undermined the social and political framework of the kingdom, and by around AD 350 the capital itself had been abandoned. In about that year a powerful invasion from the kingdom of Ethiopia shattered what remained of the old kingdom. The region is now fragmented into three kindoms - Nobatia, Maqurah and Alwah- all under new ruling elites who derive their power from the use of horse cavalry, with the first bridles, bits and spurs used in Africa.
« Nubia 200AD
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Middle East
The Middle East is divided between the Eastern Roman empire and the Persian empire
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Egypt
Egypt is a province of the Eastern Roman Empire
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Arabia
The civilization of southern Arabia has declined, along with the great desert trade routes
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Africa
A powerful new kingdom is arising in Ethiopia, while in West Africa trade routes across the Sahara are developing
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Ethiopia
Ethiopia has become a powerful Christian kingdom
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Egypt
What else is happening in the world...
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Egypt 1000 BC
After centuries of greatness, the civilization of Ancient Egypt has now entered a long period of decline.
-
Europe 1000 BC
Major population movements in Europe have caused widespread upheaval, and the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations have vanished
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Africa 1000 BC
Farming and cattle herding is spreading in western and central Africa
What else is happening in the world...
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Iran 500 BC
Iran, the centre of the great Persian empire
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Egypt 500 BC
Its ancient glories now in the past, Egypt is now just another province within the Persian empire
-
Africa 500 BC
Bantu farmers from West Africa are beginning to spread out across the continent
What else is happening in the world...
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Egypt 30 BC
Egyptian independence has come to an end with the death of its famous queen, Cleopatra
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Europe 30 BC
The Roman empire now rules much of Europe
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Africa 30 BC
North Africa has all fallen under Roman rule, while in central Africa the Bantu expansion continues
