At Meroë, in the Sudan, crumbling pyramids recall the vanished glories of the Kushite rulers, who were buried inside them

Meroë is northeast of Khartoum (center right)

Meroë (Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi; Arabic: مرواه Meruwah) is the name of an ancient city on the east bank of the Nile about 6 km north-east of the Kabushiya station near Shendi, Sudan, approximately 200 km north-east of Khartoum. Khartoum ( الخرطوم al-Kharṭūm) is the Capital of Sudan and of Khartoum State. The Meroitic language was spoken in Meroë and the Sudan during the Meroitic period (about 300 BC - 400 AD and is now extinct Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River Shendi or Shandi (Arabic شندي is a town in northern Sudan, situated on the east bank of the Nile 150 km Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. Khartoum ( الخرطوم al-Kharṭūm) is the Capital of Sudan and of Khartoum State. The area often is referred to as Nubia. This article is about the region in Africa for other uses see Nubia (disambiguation. Sometimes these peoples are associated with having ancient origins linked to the Neolithic Capsian culture and Berber tribes as with so many populations of north Africa. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Capsian culture (named after the town of Gafsa in Tunisia) was a Mesolithic culture of the Maghreb, which lasted from about 10000 to 6000 Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley.

Near the site are a group of villages called Bagrawiyah. This city was the capital of the Kingdom of Kush for several centuries. Kush civilization centered in the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile, and the confluence of the River Atbara and Nile in what The Kushitic Kingdom of Meroë gave its name to the Island of Meroë, which was the modern region of Butana, a region bounded by the Nile (from the Atbarah River to Khartoum), the Atbarah, Ethiopia, and the Blue Nile. Butana (Arabic البطانة is a region in Sudan. It is bordered by the Nile from Khartoum to Atbarah, by the Atbarah River from The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River The Atbarah River ( Arabic: نهر عطبرة transliterated: Nahr 'Atbarah in northeast Africa rises in northwest Ethiopia, approximately 50 Khartoum ( الخرطوم al-Kharṭūm) is the Capital of Sudan and of Khartoum State. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Blue Nile ( Amharic: ዓባይ transliterated ʿ Abbai, but pronounced Abbai; Arabic: النيل الأزرق transliterated The city of Meroë was on the edge of Butana and there were two other Meroitic cities in Butana, Musawwarat es-Sufra, and Naqa. Butana (Arabic البطانة is a region in Sudan. It is bordered by the Nile from Khartoum to Atbarah, by the Atbarah River from Butana (Arabic البطانة is a region in Sudan. It is bordered by the Nile from Khartoum to Atbarah, by the Atbarah River from ^[1]

The site of the city of Meroë is marked by more than two hundred pyramids in three groups, of which many are in ruins. A pyramid is a Building where the upper surfaces are triangular and converge on one point They are identified as Nubian pyramids because of their distinctive shape and proportions. The area of the Nile valley known as Nubia that lies within present day Sudan was home to three Kushite kingdoms during

History of Meroë

Meroë was the southern capital of the Kushite Kingdom, or Napata/Meroitic Kingdom, that spanned the period c. Kush civilization centered in the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile, and the confluence of the River Atbara and Nile in what 800 BC - c. 350 AD. Meroë is the spelling that we have inherited from the writings of the ancient Romans. According to partially deciphered Meroitic texts, the name of the city was Medewi or Bedewi (Török, 1998).

Excavations revealed evidence of important, high ranking Kushite burials, from the Napata Period (c. 800 - c. 280 BC) in the vicinity of the settlement called the Western cemetery. The culture of Meroë developed from the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, which originated in Kush. The twenty-first twenty-second twenty-third twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth dynasties of Ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title Third Intermediate Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now Kush civilization centered in the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile, and the confluence of the River Atbara and Nile in what The importance of the town gradually increased from the beginning of the Meroitic Period, especially from the reign of Arrakkamani (c. Kush civilization centered in the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile, and the confluence of the River Atbara and Nile in what 280 BC) when the royal burial ground was transferred to Meroë from Napata (Jebel Barkal). Napata was a City on the west bank of the Nile River some 400 km north of Khartoum, the present capital of Sudan. Jebel Barkal or Gebel Barkal (جبل بركل is a small Mountain located some 400 km north of Khartoum, in Sudan, on a large bend of the

A famous episode in the early traditions of Meroë is the coming of Alexander the Great with his forces. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' According to the legend, confronted with the brilliant military formation of the army led by Queen Candace of Meroë from atop an elephant, he concluded it would be best to withdraw his forces. A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy Candace of Meroe was the queen of Nubia at the time of the conquests of Alexander the Great. The whole story of Alexander and Candace's encounter appears to be fictional. ^{[2] [3]}

Rome's capture of Egypt led to border clashes and expansion by both Meroë and Rome. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now ^[4] Meroë sometimes came off the better, even looting a head from a statue of the emperor Augustus and burying it under their temple steps,^[5] although Nero would send "an expedition to explore Meroe (Sudan)" in 60 A. Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was D. ^[6] Meroe eventually settled down to a healthy trading relationship with Rome and the Mediterranean. However, the kingdom of Meroe began to fade as a power by the first or second century AD, sapped by the war with Roman Egypt and the decline of its traditional industries. ^[7]

Meroe is mentioned succinctly in the First century CE Periplus of the Erythraean Sea:

Near East in 200BC, showing the Kingdom of Meroe and its neighbors

"2. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea ( Periplus Maris Erythraei) is a Greek Periplus, describing navigation and trading opportunities On the right-hand coast next below Berenice is the country of the Berbers. Berenice or Berenike ( Greek:, Berenikē) is the Ancient Macedonian form for Attic Greek Φερενίκη ( Pherenikē Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. Along the shore are the Fish-Eaters, living in scattered caves in the narrow valleys. Farther inland are the Berbers, and beyond them the Wild-flesh-Eaters and Calf-Eaters, each tribe governed by its chief; and behind them, farther inland, in the country towards the west, there lies a city called Meroe. "

—Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Chap. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea ( Periplus Maris Erythraei) is a Greek Periplus, describing navigation and trading opportunities 2

The last period of the city is marked by the victory stele of an unnamed ruler of Aksum (almost certainly Ezana) erected at the site of Meroë; from his description, in Greek, that he was "King of the Aksumites and the Omerites," (i. The Aksumite Empire or Axumite Empire (sometimes called the Kingdom of Aksum or Axum ( Ge'ez: አክሱም was an important trading Ezana of Axum ( Ge'ez ዔዛና ʿĒzānā unvocalized ዐዘነ ʿzn. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Aksumite Empire or Axumite Empire (sometimes called the Kingdom of Aksum or Axum ( Ge'ez: አክሱም was an important trading The Himyarite Kingdom or Himyar (in Arabic مملكة حِمْيَر) anciently called Homerite Kingdom by the Greeks and the Romans e. of Aksum and Himyar) it is likely this king ruled sometime around 330. Axum, or Aksum, is a City in northern Ethiopia named after the Kingdom of Aksum, a naval and trading power that ruled from the region ca The Himyarite Kingdom or Himyar (in Arabic مملكة حِمْيَر) anciently called Homerite Kingdom by the Greeks and the Romans Events By Place Roman Empire May 11 — Constantine I refounds Byzantium, renames it New Rome Two more inscriptions in Ge'ez script have been found on nearby pyramids; it is uncertain whether they are contemporary with the royal stele, or belong to a later date; Ge'ez inscriptions have been found as far north as Kawa, 100 km upstream of the third cataract. Ge'ez (gez ግዕዝ) also called Ethiopic, is an Abugida script that was originally developed to write Ge'ez, a Semitic language for the town in Togo see Kawa Togo for the Malaysian cooking vessel see Wok Kawa The cataracts of the Nile are shallow stretches between Aswan and Khartoum where the water's surface is broken by numerous small boulders and stones lying

Civilization of Meroë

Meroë was the base of a flourishing kingdom whose wealth was due to strong iron industry, plus an international trade involving India and China. Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

At the time, iron was one of the most researched metals worldwide, and Meroitic metalworkers were among the best in the world. Meroë also exported textiles and jewelry. A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Jewellery (also spelled jewelry, see spelling differences) is a personal Ornament, such as a necklace ring or bracelet made from Gemstones Their textiles were based on cotton and working on this product reached its highest achievement in Nubia around 400 BC. Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Furthermore, Nubia was very rich in gold. This article is about the region in Africa for other uses see Nubia (disambiguation. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Trade in "exotic" animals from farther south in Africa was another feature of their economy. It is possible that the Egyptian word for gold, nub, was the source of name of Nubia.

At its peak, Meroitic rulers controlled Lake Chad and its surroundings (Davidson, 1966). Lake Chad (in French Lac Tchad) is a historically large shallow lake in Africa, whose size has varied greatly over the centuries

The King of Meroë was an autocrat ruler who shared his authority only with the Queen Mother, or Candace, however, the role of the latter remains obscure. Kandake or Kentake, also known as Candace, was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African empire of Kush (also known as Nubia The administration consisted of treasurers, seal bearers, heads of archives, and chief scribes among others. For the US government securities see Treasury security. Also see Treasury management. An archive refers to a collection of historical records and also refers to the location in which these records are kept A scribe (or scrivener) is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession

Meroitic script

By the third century BC a new indigenous alphabet, the Meroitic, consisting of twenty-three letters, replaced Egyptian script. An alphabet is a standardized set of letters basic written symbols each of which roughly represents a Phoneme, a Spoken language, either The Meroitic language was spoken in Meroë and the Sudan during the Meroitic period (about 300 BC - 400 AD and is now extinct The Meroitic script is an alphabetic script originally derived from Egyptian hieroglyphs, used to write the Meroitic language of the Kingdom of Meroë/Kush. An alphabet is a standardized set of letters basic written symbols each of which roughly represents a Phoneme, a Spoken language, either The Meroitic language was spoken in Meroë and the Sudan during the Meroitic period (about 300 BC - 400 AD and is now extinct Meroë ( Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi; Arabic: ar مرواه ar-Latn Meruwah) is the name of an ancient city on the east bank of the Kush civilization centered in the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile, and the confluence of the River Atbara and Nile in what It was developed sometime during the Napatan Period (about 700 - 300 BC), and first appears in the 2nd century BC. For a time, it was also possibly used to write the Nubian language of the successor Nubian kingdoms. Old Nubian is an ancient variety of the Nubian languages, spoken until about the 15th century AD [1]

They also had southern deities such as Apedemak, the lion-son of Sekhmet (or Bast, depending upon the region). In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet (also spelled Sachmet, Sakhet, Sekmet, Sakhmet and Sekhet; and given the Greek name In Egyptian mythology, Bast (also spelled Ubasti, and later Bastet) is an ancient Solar and War Goddess, worshipped at They also continued worshiping Egyptian deities brought with them, such as Amun, Tefnut, Horus, Isis, Thoth, and Satis, although to a lesser extent. Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu (also spelled Amon, Amoun, Amen, and rarely Imen, Greek Ἄμμων In Egyptian mythology, Tefnut (alternate spellings Tefenet Tefnet is a goddess of Water and fertility indeed her name means moist waters (i Isis is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and is celebrated in their mythology as the ideal mother and wife patron of nature and magic friend of slaves sinners For other meanings of "Thoth" or of "Djehuti" and similar see Thoth (disambiguation. In Egyptian mythology, Satis (also spelt Satjit, Sates, Satet, and Sati) was the deification of the Floods of the Nile

Archaeology of Meroë

Plan of the North pyramid field at Meroë

Modern archaeology in Sudan has been difficult because of the on-going civil war. In the nineteenth century, after the ruins at Meroë had been described by several European travellers, some treasure-hunting excavations were executed on a small scale in 1834 by Giuseppe Ferlini, who discovered (or professed to discover) various antiquities, chiefly in the form of jewelry, now in the museums of Berlin and Munich. Giuseppe Ferlini (1800-1870 of Bologna, Italy was an Italian doctor turned Explorer and Archaeologist who destroyed over Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany.

The ruins were examined more carefully in 1844 by Karl Richard Lepsius, who brought many plans, sketches, and copies, besides actual antiquities, to Berlin. Karl (or Carl) Richard Lepsius ( December 23, 1810 &ndash July 10, 1884) was a pioneering Prussian Further excavations were carried on by E. A. Wallis Budge in the years 1902 and 1905, the results of which are recorded in his work, The Egyptian Sudan: its History and Monuments (London, 1907). Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge ( July 27, 1857 &ndash November 23, 1934) was an English Egyptologist, Troops were furnished by Sir Reginald Wingate, governor of the Sudan, who made paths to and between the pyramids, and sank shafts. General Sir Francis Reginald Wingate 1st Baronet GCB GCVO GBE KCMG DSO TD ( 25 June 1861 &ndash

It was found that the pyramids regularly were built over sepulchral chambers, containing the remains of bodies either burned or buried without being mummified. The most interesting objects found were the reliefs on the chapel walls, already described by Lepsius, and containing the names and representations of their queens, Candaces or the Nubian Kentakes, some kings, and with some chapters of the Book of the Dead; some stelae with inscriptions in the Meroitic language, and some vessels of metal and earthenware. Kandake or Kentake, also known as Candace, was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African empire of Kush (also known as Nubia Kandake or Kentake, also known as Candace, was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African empire of Kush (also known as Nubia ' The Book of the Dead' is the common name for the Ancient Egyptian Funerary text known as ' Spells of Coming' (or ' Going') ' Forth By Day' A stele (from Greek:, stēlē, ˈstiːli plural stelae,, stēlai, ˈstiːlaɪ also found Latinised singular stela The Meroitic language was spoken in Meroë and the Sudan during the Meroitic period (about 300 BC - 400 AD and is now extinct The best of the reliefs were taken down stone by stone in 1905, and set up partly in the British Museum and partly in the museum at Khartoum. A relief is a Sculptured Artwork where a modeled form is raised (or alternatively lowered from a flattened background without being disconnected from it The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. Khartoum ( الخرطوم al-Kharṭūm) is the Capital of Sudan and of Khartoum State.

In 1910, in consequence of a report by Archibald Sayce, excavations were commenced in the mounds of the town and the necropolis by John Garstang on behalf of the University of Liverpool, and the ruins of a palace and several temples built by the Meroite rulers were discovered. The Rev Archibald Henry Sayce ( 25 September 1846 - 4 February 1933) was a pioneer Assyriologist and linguist, who held John Garstang ( May 5, 1876 &ndash September 12, 1956, Beirut) was a British archaeologist of the ancient Near East The University of Liverpool is a University in the city of Liverpool, England.

Notes

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
• Bianchi, Steven (1994). The Nubians: People of the ancient Nile. Brookfield, Conn. : Millbrook Press. ISBN 1562943561.  
• Davidson, Basil (1966). Africa, History of A Continent. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 41–58.  
• Shinnie, P. L. (1967). Meroe, a civilization of the Sudan, Ancient People and Places 55. London/New York: Thames and Hudson.  
• Török, László (1997). The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization, Handbuch der Orientalistik. Erste Abteilung, Nahe und der Mittlere Osten 31. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9004104488.  

External links

• LearningSites.com - Gebel Barkal
• UNESCO World Heritage - Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region
• (French) Voyage au pays des pharaons noirs Travel in Sudan and notes on the Nubian history
• Merowiki

See also

• Meroitic alphabet