Meroe In Sudan Was The Capital Of The Kushite Empire
January 18, 2021 2151
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Archaeological findings and
historical documents has indicated that the ancient city of Meroe was the
capital of the kingdom of Kush, which is now in present day Sudan.
Kush was a northern African kingdom
whose influence spread between c. 1069 BCE and 350 CE. Although the wider
region around Kush, which was later called Nubia, was inhabited as far back as
c. 8,000 BCE, the kingdom of Kush was to rise later. Findings have also
suggested that even though early Egyptians and the Kushite were in contact as early
as c. 3150 - c. 2613 BCE during the Early Dynasty Period of Egypt, the Kushite
civilization probably evolved from this early cultural contact and was heavily
influenced by the Egyptians.
Rich in gold, Kush was the main
source of this precious commodity to the Egyptians, and it is widely believed
that the later name, Nubia, was derived from the Egyptian word for gold,
‘nub’. Because of the vast wealth of the
Kushite kingdom, it soon ruled over Egypt and dominated its politics, with it
kings ruling over Egypt.
Egypt’s weakness was a plus for Kush,
and around c. 1069 BCE, Kushite kings reigned without any form of reference to
Egyptian monarchs or policies. As the kingdom grew steadily, it got to point
where it could take whatever it wanted from Egypt without having to defer to
Egyptian kings. With time, they became overlords in Egypt, but not to conquer,
but to preserve Egyptian culture and heritage.
The Great City of Meroe
After the 25th Dynasty ended with
Tantamani, he was replaced with a puppet king called Necho 1. His son,
Psammetcus 1, otherwise known as Psamtik 1, c. 665-610 BCE, brought an end to
Assyrian rule and established the 26th Dynasty of Egypt. Psammeticus and his
successor, Necho 11 ruled with great success, but Psammeticus 11, Necho 11’s successor,
led an expedition against Kush destroying towns, temples, monuments, stele, and
finally the capital city of Napata before he ended the campaign out of boredom
and returned to Egypt.
During this time, roughly around c.
590 BCE, the capital city of the Kushite kingdom moved frther south to the city
of Meroe for safety reasons. There, the rulers of Meroe continued to emulate
Egyptian customs and sense of fashion, also following Egyptian policies and
religious rituals until the reign f King Arkamani.
According to historian DIodorus
Sirculus (1st century BCE, Arkamani 1 had some education in Greek philosophy
and resisted being controlled by the superstitions of the priests. He therefore
led a band of men to the temple, annihilated all the priests, and ended their
dominion over the monarchy. In their place, he now instituted a new policy and
practice which included abandoning Egyptian cultural practices, and replacing
them with Kushite practices.
For instance, Arkamani replaced
Egyptian hieroglyphic script with Meroitic, which, to date, has not been
deciphered. He also changed the fashion sense from the formerly Egyptian style
to a distinctly Meroitic one and Egyptian gods god assimilated into Kushite
ones such as Aperdemak. Burial customs were also changed, with royalty
henceforth buried in Meroe, instead of Napata, where they were traditionally
interred.
Thus Meroe, on the banks of the Nile,
became the capital of the Kingdom of Kush. An agricultural and industrial hub,
it acquired much wealth through its iron work and trade. Agricultural outputs
such as grains and cereals were exported along iron weapons and tools, while
plenteous livestock roamed the city
Meroe became so wealthy that it became
legendary and King Cambyses 11 of Persia (525-522) is said to have even
launched an unsuccessful expedition to plunder. If the said expedition was ever
launched, it’s likely it never reached the city, as legend has it that Cambyses
11’s army was defeated by the treacherous and inhospitable terrain they
crossed, as well as the weather.
However, in c. 330 CE, the Axumites
invaded and sacked Meroe. Even though the city will continue to survive for the
next 20 years, it was effectively destroyed. Even without the invasion, Meroe
was already doomed and would have imploded. For one, the iron industry demanded
a massive amount of wood to create charcoal and fuel the furnaces for the iron
smelting. This high demand resulted in a large swathe of the city suffering
from deforestation. Also, due to its numerous livestock, the fields around the
city were heavily overgrazed and overused for crops, depleting the soil.
Before the arrival of the Axumites,
Meroe was already in decline and was on the verge of abandonment anyway. By the
time the last of the people walked away from the city around c. 350 CE, the
once prosperous and wealthy Kingdom of Kush has effectively come to an end.