Date:

Meroë – The Capital of the Kingdom of Kush

Meroë, also called Medewi is an archaeological region and the ancient capital city of the Nubian Kingdom of Kush, located on the east-bank of the River Nile in Sudan.

The Kingdom of Kush was established after the Bronze Age collapse and the disintegration of the New Kingdom of Egypt. During the 8th century BC, the Kushite King Kashta and his successor, Piye, invaded Egypt and pronounced themselves Pharaohs of the 25th dynasty.

- Advertisement -

The Nubian Pharaohs created a revived period in Egyptian culture, in both religion, art and architecture, including a new phase of pyramid building not seen since the “Age of the Pyramids” during the Old Kingdom.

Image Credit : joepyrekCC BY-SA 2.0

Meroë was founded as an administrative centre around 750 BC (although some archaeological evidence proposes as early as the 10th century BC) on the edge of Butana, historically called the Island of Meroë, second only to the capital of Napata located on the west bank of the Nile near modern-day Karima.

There were two other Meroitic cities in Butana: Musawwarat es-Sufra which served as a temple complex and Naqa/Naga. The core of the developed region of Meroë is identified by a cluster of royal burials comprising of three pyramid fields containing over two hundred pyramids.

Image Credit : joepyrekCC BY-SA 2.0

The Nubian Kings lost power in Egypt after being defeated by the Neo-Assyrian Empire under the rule of Ashurbanipal and were expelled to Napata by Psamtik I, who also freed Egypt from Assyrian control around 664 BC.

- Advertisement -

Achaemenid raids on Napata and the desiccating of the surrounding region led to the rise of Meroë as the new centre of the consolidated Kush Kingdom and the establishment of the Meroitic period.

Image Credit : joepyrekCC BY-SA 2.0

Because of Meroë’s distance from other civilisations, the isolation allowed the Kushites to develop their own vibrant hybrid version of Egyptian culture with their own Meroitic writing system, art, and burial practices.

After the death of Cleopatra in Egypt, the Ptolemaic dynasty’s rule of Egypt came to an end and Egypt became a new province of the Roman Empire. This brought Meroë directly to the borders of Rome, and a war ensued some time in the 1st century BC.

Following a series of successful campaigns by the Romans, a peace treaty was agreed, and a period of trade opened Meroë’s ironworks, textiles and pottery industry to the rest of the Roman Empire.

Image Credit : Valerian GuillotCC BY 2.0

Meroë and the Kingdom of Kush began to decline around AD 300, possibly due to a collapse of internal trade with the Nile valley states, with archaeological evidence pointing to an economic and political decline. Some scholars suggest that the Kingdom was invaded around AD 330 by the Aksumites, evident by a stele erected by a foreign Aksumite King but this is inconclusive.

Header Image Credit : joepyrek

- Advertisement -

Stay Updated: Follow us on iOS, Android, Google News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and our newsletter

spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is a multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

Sinkhole reveals lost remains of medieval hospital

A sinkhole that formed outside the York Theatre Royal has led to the discovery of what could be one of England’s largest medieval hospitals.

Chalcolithic cultural treasures unearthed in Caucasus

Archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences have uncovered 13 Chalcolithic-era sites, each yielding a wealth of cultural artefacts and material evidence.

Study reveals East Asia’s earliest gold-inlaid spear sheath

In 1954, a bronze spear sheath dating from Japan’s Kofun period (AD 300–538) was found beneath a rock on Okinoshima, a sacred island located off the coast of Munakata, Fukuoka.

Cache of military helmets from both World Wars discovered during roadworks

Road construction works in the Polish city of Wroclaw have unearthed an unusual cache of military objects from WWI and WWII.

Ten Roman wonders of Britain

Discover the Roman Empire’s extraordinary legacy left on Britain through this selection of ten Roman wonders.

New archaeological treasures unearthed at Finziade

Archaeologists excavating at Finziade in southern Italy have unearthed an artisan workshop and a domestic sacellum containing archaeological treasures.

Significant multi-period discoveries in Delbrück-Bentfeld

An archaeological excavation in Delbrück-Bentfeld, a town in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has unearthed nearly 400 features of archaeological interest that span several centuries.

Excavation confirms the origin of Sheffield Castle

Archaeologists excavating the former site of Sheffield Castle site have confirmed that an artificial mound within the castle interior is a motte dating back to the earliest phase of the castle’s construction.