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vespasian
Knight
Joined: 14-Jul-2005
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Topic: ancient nubia Posted: 25-Dec-2005 at 16:32 |
Hi everyone. I saw not too long ago on the Science Channel a rather interesting documentary about Nubia's pyramids. This was a subject I knew absolutly nothing about before this. I didn't know either that they ruled Egpyt as well. Fasinating stuff. I was hoping you folks knew of any good general histories of Nubia that I could read. Thanks in advance.
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Is someone going to tell Triple H that someone beat him to the title "King of Kings"?
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Maju
King
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Posted: 25-Dec-2005 at 21:53 |
Kush, heir of Egyptian traditions and Assyrian metalurgy, called "the
Birmingham of Sudanese Africa", was essential in the difusion of
metalurgy to Sud-Saharan Africa. The last Isian nation was attacked and
destroyed by their Christian Axumite neighbours, causing the diaspora
of their excellent blacksmiths... what indirectly would allow for Bantu
expansion into the tropical jungle, virtually impossible without iron
tools.
The destruction of Kush gave way to the creation of several smaller
states, Nobatia in the north, Dongola in the center and Alwa in the
south. In 533, Justinian sent his general Narses to "convert" these
kingdoms that were still adept to the Isian religion.
It seems that he succeeded, because, after some Arabic pillages in the
7th century and the imposition of a tribute, Nubians and Abyssinians
joined forces and, in 737, launched the first crusade ever with the
declared purpose of liberating the Patriarch of Alexandria (their
"Pope"). The figures mentioned talk about 100,000 knights and the same
number of camel riders.
They also joined the European crusades of the 12th century: Nubian
mercenaries rebelled and joined the army of St. Louis... only to be
massacred by Salahdin soon after. Some of them, nevertheless, flee to
Nubia where they gather forces and launch a new expedition against
Egypt. Salahdin sends his brother to pillage and conquer northern Nubia
in reprisal.
In 1275, King David of Dongola quits paying tribute to the Mamelukes
and attacks Asswan again. But he's defeated and killed. His eventual
successor, Schemaun, leads three succesive rebellions. Mamelukes defeat
him twice and place a puppet king in his place, after the third,
Mamelukes conquer the country and place a stable garrison. In 1315, the
last Christian king of Dongola is formally deposed and a Muslim one is
enthroned. Alwa will still survive for two centuries more until it is
conquered by Fung.
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vespasian
Knight
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Posted: 28-Dec-2005 at 10:19 |
Interesting. Thank you. I'm a little confused on one point, though. Are Kush and Nubia the same thing? Forgive my ignorance, but I'm new to this corner of history.
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Is someone going to tell Triple H that someone beat him to the title "King of Kings"?
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Maju
King
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Posted: 28-Dec-2005 at 11:13 |
Nubia would be ancient Sudan (specially the center and north of it). In
a more restricted sense it can also be the northernmost region of it
(Nobatia, modernly also called Nubia). It's a geographical/ethnic term.
Kush is the state that existed there in the first centuries of the
Common Era, which, as I said before, was destroyed by Axum (Abyssinia).
In older sources and/or in a wider meaning, you can also see it as Ethiopia, a term that is simmilar to Arabic Sudan or Western Black Africa: meaning the Land of the Blacks.
The Christian kingdoms of Nubia
Check also Wkipedia: Nubia.
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NO GOD, NO MASTER!
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Berosus
Pretorian
Joined: 17-Aug-2004
Location: United States
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Posted: 01-Jan-2006 at 00:47 |
I would define Nubia as the land between Khartoum and the Aswan Dam; in other words, what appears on maps like the one above as southern Egypt and northern Sudan. And yes, the names Kush and Nubia are pretty much interchangeable, with Kush being the political term and Nubia being the geographical one. Regarding history texts, I wrote about Nubia for my website in early 2004. The page that covers the period when Meroe was the capital is right here: http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/africa/af04.html
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Nothing truly great is achieved through moderation.--Prof. M.A.R. Barker
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Tobodai
Tsar
Retired AE Moderator
Joined: 03-Aug-2004
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Posted: 01-Jan-2006 at 05:06 |
Although it has many typos as its from my rough draft and not final copy, and the word Kush*te was censored by the stupid forum, I wrote an artcile for AE on Nubia that can be found on this sites artcile directories, under ancient empires I think.
If I were to write it agian now it would be so much better, since Im a history major with a concentration in African history. But alas too lazy to re-write it now.
Even after the 3 christian kingdoms, Nubia continued to exist more or less as the Islamic Funj sultanate. That was eventually toppled. Nubia was also the source of the "MAd Mahdi" who booted Egypt-England out of Sudan in the 19th century.
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