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Information about Cushites

This article is about the Nubian civilization. For other uses, see Kush (disambiguation).


Kush was a civilization centered in the region of Nubia, located in what is today northern Sudan. One of the earliest civilizations to develop in the Nile River Valley, Kushite states rose to power before a period of Egyptian incursion into the area. People in Kush were called Kushites.

Origins

The first developed societies arose in Nubia before the time of the First dynasty of Egypt (3100-2890 BC). Around 2500 BC, Egyptians began moving south, and it is through them that most of our knowledge of Kush (Cush) comes. But this expansion was halted by the fall of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. About 1500 BC Egyptian expansion resumed, but this time encountered organized resistance. Historians are not sure whether this resistance came from multiple city states or a single unified empire, and debate whether the notion of statehood was indigenous or borrowed from the Egyptians. The Egyptians prevailed, and the region became a colony of Egypt under the control of Thutmose I, whose army ruled from a number of sturdy fortresses. The region supplied Egypt with resources.

In the eleventh century BC internal disputes in Egypt caused colonial rule to collapse and an independent kingdom arose based at Napata in Nubia. This kingdom was ruled by locals who overthrew the colonial regime.

Napata

This Napata based kingdom was united by Alara in the period of around 780-755 BC; Alara is universally regarded as the founder of the Kushite kingdom by his successors. The kingdom grew in influence and came to dominate the Southern Egyptian region of Elephantine and even Thebes by the reign of Kashta, Alara's successor who managed in the 8th century BC to compel Shepenupet I, half-sister of Takelot III and the serving God's Wife of Amen, to adopt his own daughter Amenirdis I as her successor. After this event, Thebes was under the de facto control of Napata. Its power reached a climax under King Piye, Kashta's successor, who conquered all of Egypt in his Year 20 and established the 25th dynasty.

When the Assyrians invaded in 671 BC, Kush became once again an independent state. The last Kushite king to attempt to regain control over Egypt was Tantamani who was firmly defeated by Assyria in 664 BC. Thereafter, the kingdom's power over Egypt declined and terminated in 656 BC when Psamtik I, founder of the 26th Saite Dynasty, reunited Egypt. In 591 BC the Egyptians under Psamtik II invaded Kush, possibly because Kush ruler Aspelta was preparing to invade Egypt, and effectively sacked and burned Napata.

Move to Meroë

It is clear from various historical records that Aspelta's successors moved their capital to Meroë, considerably farther south than Napata. The exact date this change was made is uncertain but some historians believe it was during Aspelta's reign, in response to the Egyptian invasion of Lower Nubia. Other historians believe it was the attraction of iron working that drove the kingdom south: around Meroë, unlike Napata, there were large forests that could fire the blast furnaces. The arrival of Greek merchants throughout the region also meant that Kush was no longer dependent on trade along the Nile. Instead, it could export its goods to the Red Sea and the Greek trading colonies there.

An alternate theory is that two separate but closely linked states developed, one based at Napata and the other at Meroë. The Meroë-based state gradually eclipsed the northern one. No royal residence has been found north of Meroë and it is possible Napata had only been the religious headquarters. But Napata clearly remained an important centre, with the kings being crowned and buried there for many centuries, even when they lived at Meroë.

In about 300 BC the move to Meroë was made more complete when the monarchs began to be buried there, instead of at Napata. One theory is that this represents the monarchs breaking away from the power of the priests at Napata. Diodorus Siculus tells a story about a Meroitic ruler named Ergamenes who was ordered by the priests to kill himself, but broke tradition and had the priests executed instead. Some historians think Ergamenes refers to Arrakkamani, the first ruler to be buried at Meroë. However, a more likely transliteration of Ergamenes is Arqamani, who ruled many years after the royal cemetery was opened at Meroë. Another theory is that the capital had always been based at Meroë.

Kush continued for several centuries, yet there is little information available. Earlier Kush had used Egyptian hieroglyphics, but Meroë developed a new script and began to write in the Meroitic language, which has not been fully deciphered. The state seems to have prospered, trading with its neighbours and continuing to build monuments and tombs. In 23 BC the Roman governor of Egypt, Petronius, invaded Nubia in response to a Nubian attack on southern Egypt, pillaging the north of the region and sacking Napata (22 BC) before returning north.

Decline

The decline of Kush is a hotly debated topic. A diplomatic mission in Nero's reign travelled to Meroë; (Pliny the Elder, N.H. 6.35). After the second century AD the royal tombs began to shrink in size and splendour, and the building of large monuments seems to have ceased. The royal pyramid burials halted altogether in the middle of the fourth century AD. The archeological record shows a cultural shift to a new society known as the X-Group, or Ballana culture.

This corresponds closely to the traditional theory that the kingdom was destroyed by the invasion by Ezana of Axum from the Ethiopian kingdom of Axum around 350. However, the Ethiopian account seems to be describing the quelling of a rebellion in lands they already controlled. It also refers only to the "Noba," (in Greek "Nobatae") and makes no mention of the rulers of Meroë.

The last ruler of Meroë was a man called Sect Lie; his exact name has been lost. Not much is known about him, but a few stories still survive in folk telling. Apparently he was an evil man, who lusted for gold and women. This possibly helped cause the invasion of Meroë.

Many historians theorize that these Nuba are the same people the Romans called the Nobatae. Procopius reports that when the Roman empire withdrew from northern Nubia in 272, they invited the Nobatae to fill the power vacuum.

The other important elements were the Blemmyes, likely ancestors of the Beja. They were desert warriors who threatened the Roman possessions and thereby contributed to the Roman withdrawal to more defensible borders. At the end of the fourth century AD they had managed to control a part of the Nile valley around Kalabsha in Lower Nubia.

By the sixth century, new states had formed in the area once been controlled by Meroë. It seems almost certain that the Nobatae evolved into the state of Nobatia, and were also behind the Ballana culture and the two other states that arose in the area, Makuria and Alodia were also quite similar. The Beja meanwhile were expelled, back into the desert by the Nuba kings around 450 AD. These new states of Nubia inherited much from Kush, but were also quite different. They spoke Old Nubian and wrote in a modified version of the Coptic alphabet; Meroitic and its script seemed to disappear completely. Unlike their predecessors were armed with weapons that far-surpassed Kush technology at the time.

The origin of the Nuba/Nobatae who replaced Meroë is uncertain. They may have been nomadic invaders from the west who conquered and imposed their culture and language on the settled peoples. P.L. Shinnie has speculated that the Nobatae were in fact indigenous and were natives of the Napata region who had been dominated by Meroitic leaders for centuries, and that the word Nobatae is directly related to Napata.

In the Bible

The name given this civilization comes from the Old Testament where Cush was one of the sons of Ham who settled in Northeast Africa. In the Bible and archaically, a large region covering northern Sudan, southern Egypt, and parts of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia were known as Cush. The Bible refers to Cush on a number of occasions. Some contend that this Cush was in southern Arabia. See Biblical Cush for a full discussion.

See also

References

  • Jean Leclant. "The empire of Kush: Napata and Meroe" UNESCO General History of Africa
  • A. Hakem with I. Hrbek and J. Vercoutter. "The civilization of Napata and Meroe" UNESCO General History of Africa
  • P.L. Shinnie. "The Nilotic Sudan and Ethiopia c. 660 BC to c. AD 600" Cambridge History of Africa - Volume 2 Cambridge University Press, 1978.

External links

Kush may refer to:
  • Kush, a region in the ancient world and where the original Egyptians came from, straddling present-day Egypt and Sudan
  • The Kush, album by Havoc
  • Kush (band), band
  • Kush (herb), family of potent cannabis strains

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Nubia (not to be confused with Nuba, a collective term used for the peoples who inhabit the Nuba Mountains, in Kordofan province, Sudan, Africa) is the region in the south of Egypt, along the Nile and in northern Sudan.
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Motto
"Al-Nasr Lana"   (Arabic)
"Victory is Ours"
Anthem
نحن جند للہ جند الوطن   (Arabic)

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Origin Africa
Mouth Mediterranean Sea
Basin countries Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, DR Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt
Length 6,650 km (4,132 mi)
Source elevation 1,134 m (3,721 ft)

Avg.
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Dynasties of Pharaohs
in Ancient Egypt
Predynastic Egypt
Protodynastic Period
Early Dynastic Period
1st 2nd
Old Kingdom
3rd 4th 5th 6th
First Intermediate Period
7th 8th 9th 10th
11th (Thebes only)

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and
31st century
←← ↔ →→


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and
29th century
←← ↔ →→


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c. 2900 BC–2334 BC — Mesopotamian wars of the Early Dynastic period.
  • c. 2500 BC — Scribal schools flourish throughout Sumer.
  • c. 2500 BC — Cylinder seal from Sumer and its impression are made.
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    • Egyptians (Egyptian: rmṯnkm.t; Coptic: ni.ramenkīmi; Arabic: مِصريّون miṣriyūn
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    Dynasties of Pharaohs
    in Ancient Egypt
    Predynastic Egypt
    Protodynastic Period
    Early Dynastic Period
    1st 2nd
    Old Kingdom
    3rd 4th 5th 6th
    First Intermediate Period
    7th 8th 9th 10th
    11th (Thebes only)

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    15th century BC - 14th century BC

    1530s BC 1520s BC 1510s BC - 1500s BC - 1490s BC 1480s BC 1470s BC
    1509 BC 1508 BC 1507 BC 1506 BC 1505 BC
    1504 BC 1503 BC 1502 BC 1501 BC 1500 BC

    - - State leaders - Sovereign states
    -

    Events and trends


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      Kanekhet meri maat
      Mighty Bull, Beloved of Maat

      Nebty
      name

      <hiero>G16</hiero>
      <hiero>N28:D36-G17:N35-F20:D21*X1-I13-O29:F9*F9</hiero> Kham neseret aa pehet
      Crowned with the royal serpent, Great of power


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      Napata was a city on the west bank of the Nile River, some 400 km north of Khartoum, the present capital of Sudan. It was built around 1450 BC, by the Nubians.

      The Rise of Napata

      Since Early Dynastic times, Egyptians had been interested in Nubia, an area very rich in gold.
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      Alara was regarded as the founder of the Napatan royal dynasty by his 25th Dynasty Nubian successors. He unified all of Upper Nubia from Meroe to the Third Cataract and is believed to be attested at the Temple of Amun at Kawa.
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      Kashta was a king of the Kushite Dynasty whose names translates literally as "The Kushite". (Grimal: p.334)

      While he ruled Nubia from Napata, which is 400 km north of Khartoum, the modern capital of Sudan, he also exercised a strong degree of influence--though not
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      The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC.

      Overview

      The 8th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25 Dynasty.
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      Usimare Setepenamun Takelot III Si-Ese was Osorkon III's eldest son and successor. Takelot III ruled the first five years of his reign in a coregency with his father and served previously as the High Priest of Amun at Thebes.
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      The Ancient Kushite princess commonly known as Amenirdis I was the daughter of Kashta and sister of Piye [1] and Shabaka. Kashta arranged to have her adopted by the Divine Adoratrice of Amun, Shepenupet I, at Thebes as her successor [2]
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      Piye, whose name was once transliterated as Py(ankh)i. (d. 721 BC) was a Kushite king and founder of the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt who ruled Egypt from the city of Napata, located deep in Nubia, Sudan.
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      Dynasties of Pharaohs
      in Ancient Egypt
      Predynastic Egypt
      Protodynastic Period
      Early Dynastic Period
      1st 2nd
      Old Kingdom
      3rd 4th 5th 6th
      First Intermediate Period
      7th 8th 9th 10th
      11th (Thebes only)

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      Ancient Mesopotamia

      Euphrates Tigris
      Cities / Empires
      Sumer: Uruk ' Ur ' Eridu
      Kish ' Lagash ' Nippur
      Akkadian Empire: Akkad
      Babylon ' Isin ' Susa
      Assyria: Assur Nineveh
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      7th century BC - 6th century BC

      700s BC 690s BC 680s BC - 670s BC - 660s BC 650s BC 640s BC
      679 BC 678 BC 677 BC 676 BC 675 BC
      674 BC 673 BC 672 BC 671 BC 670 BC

      - - State leaders - Sovereign states
      -

      Events and trends


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      Tantamani (Assyrian pronunciation, identical to Tandaname) or Tanwetamani (sometimes as Tanutamon) (Egyptian) or Tementhes (Greek) (d. 653 BC) was king of Egypt (664 BC to 656 BC), and a member of the Nubian or Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt.
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      7th century BC - 6th century BC

      680s BC 670s BC 660s BC - 650s BC - 640s BC 630s BC 620s BC
      659 BC 658 BC 657 BC 656 BC 655 BC
      654 BC 653 BC 652 BC 651 BC 650 BC

      - - State leaders - Sovereign states
      -

      Events and trends


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      Nebty
      name       Neba

      Golden
      Horus       Qenu

      Consort(s) Mehtenweskhet

      Issue Necho II, Nitocris I

      Died 610 BC

      Burial Sais

      Wahibre Psammetichus I (Psamtik or Psamtek
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      6th century BC - 5th century BC

      620s BC 610s BC 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC 570s BC 560s BC
      599 BC 598 BC 597 BC 596 BC 595 BC
      594 BC 593 BC 592 BC 591 BC 590 BC

      - - State leaders - Sovereign states
      -

      Events and trends


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      Psammetichus II (also spelled Psammeticus or Psamtik) was a king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt (595 BC-589 BC). His prenomen, Neferibre, means "Beautiful is the Heart of Re." (Clayton: p.195) He was the son of Necho II.
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      Aspelta was a ruler of the kingdom of Kush (c. 593 - 568 BCE). More is known about him and his reign than most of the rulers of Kush. He left several stelae carved with accounts of his reign. He was the son of Senkamanisken and brother of Anlamani, who immediately preceded him.
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      Meroë is northeast of Khartoum (center right)]] Coordinates: Meroë (Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi
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      3, 4, 6
      (amphoteric oxide)
      Electronegativity 1.83 (Pauling scale)
      Ionization energies
      (more) 1st: 762.5 kJmol−1
      2nd: 1561.9 kJmol−1
      3rd: 2957 kJmol−1

      Atomic radius 140 pm
      Atomic radius (calc.
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