Kingdom of Koush

Kingdom of Kerma

The kingdom of Kerma formed starting from the site éponyme which will become the capital about it is an enough powerful kingdom to worry its neighbor of north, the Egypt of the Ancient Empire which organized already forwardings towards the heart of Africa and of this fact was to necessarily pass by the grounds controlled by the Nubians. It is mainly of these Egyptian sources that we hold information on these people introduced then in a somewhat quarrelsome way or who in any case did not intend to yield the place in the control of trade route which furrowed the area and linked the great regions of Africa Centrale and Southern to the remainder of the continent by preventing - and it is a considerable point - the roads harassing with the Sahara which already at this high time was reached by an intense turning into a desert and which will not cease since any more.

One distinguishes three periods for this kingdom which covers 1000 years or more development and of civilization. Not being a civilization of the writing it is thus rather difficult to restore its history and the large characters who did it. Of this fact and contrary to other ancient civilizations it is primarily the archeology of this civilization which makes it possible to restore it as a whole, and as we do not have specific writings to these people we let us be tiny room to make assumptions on its cultural evolution starting from the vestiges that it transmitted to us in particular through the innumerable burials which attest that this civilization was an urban civilization, its people being gathered around great pertaining to worship and commercial centers.

First kingdom of Kerma

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Under old the Kerma denomination one intends to gather the whole of the nilotic cultures of the average Sudan which gathered by chefferies around a powerful monarch who thus had his capital with Kerma, site of the middle price of the the Nile Sudanese. The population of this time indeed consists of a whole of tribes different more marked by the influences from the south of the Sudan. One already attends a development of the metallurgy (copper but also bronzes) and of arts: cabinet work, ivory, ceramics, which one found many testimonys in the burials of the time. The rites of burial are related with those of the culture of the Group C.

The tombs acquire their final form then: a circular pit containing the late one buried in contracted position and the head with the East, with a funerary material primarily made up of ceramics for humblest, the unit being covered with a tumulus around whose the food offerings are deposited and the funerary sacrifices operated.

The royal burials are much more imposing (the royal tumuli at that time then exceed a honourable diameter from 40 to 60 meters) and comprise in addition to a funerary movable rich person, subsidiary tombs intended for the aristocracy of then, while the immediate entourage of the king “is sacrificed” the day of his funeral and thus receives the “privilege” to accompany his sovereign in beyond. The site of Kerma is in full rise and of many constructions attest the existence of an organized monarchy and to which the whole of the area dedicated a certain respect.

In the north of this area, the Nubie was dominated by tribes which one gathers under the term of Group C and which drastiquement prohibited the access to the south by controlling the trade, even by plundering the convoys which returned in Egypt or left there. With the Ancient Empire this situation became critical for the Egyptians who needed this access to obtain invaluable and rare goods coming from central Africa.

With time the Group C seems little by little to have pacified its relations with its Egyptian neighbor going until providing mercenaries to the troops of the Pharaon S of. In return the Egypt guaranteed a relative safety as well to him at the military level as economic, in particular while mitigating the periods of famines by the sending of grain to the people of the area. The outlets on the gold mines of the Eastern desert were there certainly already for something.

On the other hand the distance kingdom of Kerma always represented a danger to commercial forwardings which entered then undoubtedly in competition with the young kingdom whose influence grew. Two groups of distinct population and culture thus occupied all the valley of the the Nile Sudanese to the surroundings of the fifth cataract and then formed two powerful proto-urban civilizations which it was necessary to take into account. One attends indeed on all along the valley with the progressive sedentarisation of the people and the establishment of villages which little by little become large villages. Kerma was then already a wide city.

Second kingdom of Kerma

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From the time of average Kerma, one attends the development of the kingdom and his culture in particular of the funerary practices; the late ones are always buried in fetal position the head in the east with a funerary movable rich person and one can follow through the evolution of these practices and the development of the tumuli an increasingly marked hierarchisation of the company. A true aristocratic class is born thus and precedes the power of the kingdom at the following period. Rare direct contacts take place with the neighbors of north but the trade is flourishing and attests stability of the area. One finds traces of his sales network on the grounds of Chillouk in the south of the valley of the Nile and until in the mountains of Tibesti.

In the north of the country, the Group C always dominates the valley until the Pharaons of the Moyen Egyptian Empire annex literally the area until Batn el-Haggar. One then witnesses a reaction of the kingdom of Kerma which will protect its cities derrières from the ramparts and, sign of times, the late masculines will then be buried with their weapons in a systematic way.

Third kingdom of Kerma

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The kingdom of Koush during traditional Kerma extends its territory of the first cataract, around Assouan, to the fourth cataract following the alliance of the Nubian people (Groupe C) and of the kingdom of Kerma which becomes the capital then about it. The relations with the neighbor of north are at the beginning peaceful and the trade is flourishing with all the valley of the Nile and central Africa.

One witnesses a jump of agriculture and urbanization of the area. Great constructions in the capital and colossal necropoles royal with tumuli (some exceed the 100 meters in diameter). At the cultural level one attends a maintenance of the habits and local traditions although certain elements architectural or decorative are borrowed from the Egyptian culture which remains rather present on the north of the kingdom. Diplomatic relations between Kerma and the dynastes Hyksôs of the Delta of the Nile are proven and attest that the two powers sought to pass alliance in order to counter the rise to power of a rival dynasty located at Thèbes. One of these sovereigns, Kamosis will then take again the advantage on the kingdom of Kerma pushing back its border in the south of Elephantine. His/her son Ahmosis will continue this conquest of the territories of the Sudan.

Egyptian domination

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The Pharaons of the Nouvel Egyptian Empire extend their domination to the 4th cataract (Nubie Egyptian). Destruction of the kingdom of Kerma by Ahmosis then Aménophis {{Ier}} () and controls trade route as well as gold mines of the Eastern desert.

Construction of the sites and monuments in Nubie Egyptian woman:

Beit el-Ouali,
Gerf Hussein,
Kouban,
Ouadi be-Séboua,
Amada,
Aniba,
Derr,
El-Lessiya,
Qasr Ibrim,
Abou Simbel.

Construction of the sites and monuments in Nubie Sudanese woman and in Sudan:

Faras,
Aksha,
Bouhen,
Semna,
Ouronarti,
Koumma,
Amara,
Saï,
Sédeinga,
Djebel Dosha,
Soleb,
Sésébi,
Pnoubs,
Argo,
Kaoua,
Napata (Djebel Barkal),
Kourgous.

Installation of a vice king for this area which undergoes a posted egyptianisation. Capital with Aniba.

To the XI E with the end of the Egyptian domination on the Sudan following the bursting of the Egypt in several rival kingdoms, Nubie becomes independent around the vice king de Koush whose last attested representative is Panéhésy (reign of Ramsès {{XI}}) and thus allows the development again chefferies and principalities with the Sudan which seem to coexist peacefully in particular in the south of the country.

With X E one then attends the constitution of a principality around a local dynasty with Napata (Djebel Barkal). This dynasty would then find its origins in remote the Méroé still simple commercial place. Little by little the influence of the principality extends on the unit from the kingdoms from Sudan and constitutes a powerful kingdom in the middle of Western and central Africa. Reign of six unknown sovereigns. To the IX E following a civil war which plunges the thébaïde in chaos, part of the clergy of Karnak takes refuge with Napata under the protection of princes de Koush.

Kingdom of Napata

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With the reign of the prince Alara then that of the king Kashta Koushite, one attends the conquest of Low Nubie then of the High-Egypt. One can then consider this period as the apogee of the kingdom of Napata whose dynasty claims the heritage of the Egypt. Indeed, in front of the anarchy which reigns there Piyé (Piânkhy), then after him its successors, intervene and go up on the melting throne of Egypt. Their kingdom extends then from the 6th cataract around Khartoum to the Mediterranean.

The Pharaons of are:

Piyé,
Chabaqa,
Chabataqa,
Taharqa,
Tanouetamani.

All will reign on the kingdom of Koush and Egypt.

Construction of the temples napatéens of the current Nubie and the Sudan. This empire will end with second half of the VII E with the conquest of the Egypt by the Assyrian S. the kingdom which preserves Napata as capital finds its original borders then.

Towards -591, the Pharaon Psammétique {{II}} sends a forwarding against the kingdom of Koush, reducing to nothing the ambitions of the kings of Napata on the Egypt. Destruction of the Holy Cities of Kaoua, Pnoubs, Napata and of the royal statues of.

Starting from the VI E and to the IV E reconstitutes a second kingdom of Napata which, following the loss of its suzerainty in Egypt will develop its influence and its culture in an increasingly autonomous way.

Reign of the Pharaons with Napata:

Altanersa (- 653 to -643) wire of Taharqa,
Senkamanisken (- 643 to -623),
Anlamani (- 623 to -593),
Aspelta (- 593 to -568),
Armantelqo (- 568 to -555),
Malonaqen (- 555 to -542),
Analmaaye (- 542 to -538),
Amaniastabarqa (- 538 to -519),
?
Irike-amanote (- 431 to -405), certain researchers think that it helped the Egyptians against the Persian invasion of - 404;
Harsiotef (- 390 to -350),
Nastasen (- 335 to -315).

Development of the age of iron with Méroé and trade route with the heart of Africa and the Red Sea (sea route of the India). Resumption of the influence to the first cataract around Philae. Restoration of the large sanctuaries of the kingdom. Necropoles and pyramids of Nouri and El-Kourrou.

Kingdom of Méroé

(IV E at the 4th century)

At the end of the IV E, kings de Nubie face an invasion come from North, leave Napata and take refuge more in the South with Méroé. Development of the meroitic culture in all the valley of the Nile and close commercial relations with the kingdom lagide of Egypt. Conflicts burst between the two powers and will find their paroxysm at the time of the Roman conquest with I er.

Reign of kings de Méroé:

Arkamani {{Ier}} (- 275 with - 250) it builds large pyramids with Méroé,
Arnékhamani (- 235 with - 218),
Adikhalamani,
Arkamani {{II}},
Candace (queen) Chanakdakhéto (- 170 with - 150),
Tanéyidamani (- 110 to -90),
Téritéqas,
Candace Amanitoré {{Ire}},
Candace Amanishakhéto (- 35 with -20),
Natakamani,
Candace Amanitoré {{II}} (- 12 to +12),
Chorkarer.

Construction of the sites and monuments:

Philae,
Kalabsha,
Dakka,
Qasr Ibrim,
Tabo,
Napata,
Méroé,
Musawarat be-Sofra,
Naga,
Bog manganese-Ben-Naga,
Basa,
El-Hassa,
Hosh-Ben-Naga,
Djebel Qeili,
Soba,
Khartoum.

Development of the worships of the Sudanese gods: Dédoun the first of Nubie , Apédémak the large god of the South , Arsénouphis and Mandoulis.

Necropolis of royal pyramids to Méroé: although one attends the III E on a short return of the necropolis royal to Napata, which must correspond to a resumption of influence of the area of the north of Sudan by the kingdom of Koush (probably at the time or the lagides will lose their suzerainty on the High-Egypt) this one is in fact officially with Méroé.

At the time of discovered necropoles royal of Méroé at the 19th century, a true hunting for the treasure caused the systematic destruction of the pyramids in the hope to discover in their masonry of the masks and secret rooms sheltering the treasures of the Sudanese kings.

Except the treasure of the Candace Amanishakhéto discovered wrapped in linens in a bronze cauldron (forgotten by the plunderers?) this systematic destruction campaign had only little result, the majority of the royal tombs having been plundered at the end of antiquity and left the necropoles royal in ruin.

In fact the pyramids of Méroé are conceived same manner as those of Napata, namely a burial arranged in the basement of the monument, generally formed of only one part, in which the royal late one with its funerary furniture was buried the day of its funeral. At this point in time the pyramid was built by the heirs to the late one. These monuments thus did not have an other goal only to announce the royal burial and thus preceded by a funerary vault with small a pylon, inherited the Egyptian religious architecture, which generally carried a representation of the king or the queen massacring the enemies of the kingdom ritually. This vault of worship leant with the pyramidal monument comprised a representation of Osiris in Ronde bump which ends up disappearing at the end of the meroitic period.

This time is disturbed by many conflicts with the tribes and wandering tribes of the Western and Eastern desert which pushed by the inexorable turning into a desert of the area sought new grounds to settle. The kings and queens of Méroé had thus unceasingly to push back these incursions sometimes giving up the control of Nubie then taking it again assimilating these cultures again into its orbit of influence.

The relations with the Egypt lagide are unequal according to the power of the latter. Thus at the beginning of the takeover of first Ptolémées the two kingdoms maintain the commercial exchanges and cultural which support the economic development of Nubie. Temples and vaults are built jointly in particular with Kalabsha in the honor of the god Mandoulis and with Philae in the honor of Arsénouphis.

On the other hand to the II E, with the weakening of the monarchy of Alexandria, the frontier zone seems annexed by the sovereigns koushites who pushed can be their advantage downstream from the first cataract. One knows that in all the cases the thébaïde escaped control from the Ptolémées during nearly one century and that a small kingdom was formed there, undoubtedly constant by his powerful neighbor of the south.

Ptolémée {{V}} ends up reducing this sedition of the High-Egypt and pushed its forwarding until Napata, it however had to turn back, undoubtedly in front of the permanent hostility of the local populations as formerly the Large king of Persians Cambyse {{II}} failed in this way. The kingdom of Méroé remained unconquered and again the border is fixed at Assouan. The commercial relations began again until the end of the time lagide in Egypt during the Roman invasion and the suicide of Cléopâtre {{VII}} in -30.

In -24, conquest of Philae and Aswan by the Candace Amanishakhéto. Conquest of the Nubie by the Romans who will be stopped by the queen. Peace treaty between Rome and Méroé in -21, known as treaty of Samos. The border is fixed at Maharraqa and from this time the two empires will maintain the flourishing commercial relations. New architectural programs take place in Nubie jointly controlled during the first centuries of our era. However the relations will be sometimes tended for primarily economic reasons (gold mines in particular).

Néron for example will without a future organize a forwarding towards Méroé (failure of forwarding?). On its side the kingdom of Méroé will organize forwardings towards north with an aim of guaranteeing the access to its places of worships.

With second half of the 4th century, repeated incursions of the kingdom of Axoum start the kingdom of Méroé. It is at that time that one traditionally locates his fall under the blows of the kings Ella-Amida and Ezana of Ethiopia. The last meroitic burial royal that one discovered is dated from the surroundings of 350, which shows that in spite of these attacks of the history the civilization of Méroé had not been completely destroyed by the Christian kingdom of Ethiopia.

Kingdoms post-meroitic

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Bursting of the kingdom of Méroé in three kingdoms:

Into Low-Nubie, kingdom of Nobades,
Into High-Nubie, kingdom of Makouria,
the area of Méroé becomes the kingdom of Allocated.

In 450, alliance of Nobades and Blemmyes against Rome for the defense of their places of worships whose island of Philae was the principal sanctuary. In 453 signature of a peace treaty enters the belligerents authorizing the Sudaneses to practice their worship of Isis freely. Royal burials of El-Hobagi and necropoles of Qoustoul and Ballana.

Towards 540 christianization of the Nubian kingdoms.

References

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