Art and Archaeology of Ancient Nubia
Week 8: The Long Twilight, Post-Meroitic Nubia (350-500 AD)
1
The Fall of Meroe & Rise of Karanog
Meroe Kingdom was under attack from Ezana, the king of Axum. After a series of battles he
managed to sack Meroe and incorporate Kush into his lands. Battle at the “Takkaze” and
“Temalke”.
Meroe was destroyed, but outliers survive, especially Karanog, south of Assuan. Karanog was
an important government center in Lower Nubia and had been relatively independent. Called
Nelote in Meroitic, population between 1000 and 2400 inhabitants. Mudbrick houses, but
other dwellings might have existed in between them. Richer houses in the southeast of the
town, the poorer quarters being south and west.
Fertile lands surrounding the city supported the inhabitants, grave gifts were often linked to
the roman Egypt and the Mediterranean.
Pestho viceroys lived in large constructions up to three stories high. Public rooms in the
ground floor and domestic quarters on the two floors above. Cults of Amun of Napata and
Amun of Memphis, and Isis. Also Kushite gods like Mash and an indigenous sungod were
worshipped.
Meroitic alphabetic script is used from the 2nd century BD: 23 letters and one of the first
languages with punctuation. Derived from hieroglyphs and has standard and cursive scripts.
Sound values were determined by comparison with Egyptian hieroglyph. Meroitic appears to
be a separate language.
Script was used until 8th century AD, when it was replaced by Old Nubian script.
2
Karanog Tombs
Horses and iron changed Nubia: iron = better weapons, horses = better and faster transport.
Nubia turned into a center for horsebreeding.
Karanog cemetaries had 1-4th centuries AD. Poor had only subterranean chambers, richer ones
were copies of the ones in Meroe. Offering table inside. Often images of libations. Unique
aspect: a sculpture of a Bast bird sculpture set in the eastern façade = representing the
Egyptian idea of the soul. There were lots of different styles and they were painted. Inside the
tombs: objects of daily life, including many imports, like roman glass containers.
3
Tumuli Excavations
Painted pottery with Hellenistic styles with African fauna, but also Egyptian symbols (ankh) or
stamped decorations. Imitations of Roman pottery with applied decorations. Local pottery
like the black and red wares:
Large pots, often hand formed, with textile impressions – example the beer vessel we were
shown.
Also the imitations of the barbatine wares. A lot of beer was used in the ancient world, not
just to drink, but also a offerings to the gods, drinking the beer = the beer includes a kind of
antibiotic that is ingested with the drink itself.
X-Group excavations: evidence of tetracycline in the bones of the Nubian population =
antibiotic. Tetracycline was only discovered in the late 1950s. The source was the beer
consumed by everyone: beer by the adults, the gruel by the kids.
Transition from Meroitic to X-Group is not a replacement of the Meriotic people by Suthern
immigrants. The changes in the skulls and bones were probably down to the change in food
and environment.
New research: analysing ancient DNA to support the idea of population continuity.
Researchers are looking for genetic modifications: are there any mixtures with other peoples –
Mediterranean or African. There are links to earliest African populations through haplogroup
comparisons.
El Hobagi (near the 6th cataract), 1985-90, two tumuli were excavated, the larger of which
appears to be of military use, maybe a refuge for the royal family after the fall of Meroe.
Pyramid tombs were abandoned and now we return to tumuli. Wealthy burials with
sometimes hundreds of bronze vessels.
After the capital was destroyed, and a post-Meroitic civilization emerges. Elaborate artwork
shows the mix with Egypt and Byzantine elements.
When Assuan dam was enlarged, at Ballana they found new evidence of the X-Group culture,
but little cultural elements. Probably the tombs of the kings of Nobata, a semi-nomadic
culture. Tumuli with substructures in mudbrick. Many of them contained burial goods, chiefly
Nubian in origin, some also Mediterranean area. Some animal and human sacrifices were
involved.
Kings had cylindrical silver crowns with elements of ostrich feathers, sacred beetles and jewels
= pharaonic traditions
This one shows elements of the god Horus, Amun and Hathor. Sundisks ring the headband.
Often Byzantine style bracelets. Bronze lamps, etc. Tombs were sealed with animal sacrifices
as carcasses were found along the entrance ways. Eek.
4
The X-Group
Later excavations explored the site of Qustul, where more information on the X-group was
found in a series of cemetaries. X-Group should be renamed “Ballana culture” = Nobatae >
Nobatian culture? They were asked by the Roman emperor to defend this area against the
well organised Blemmyes?
Nobata and Blemese had alliances and hostilities, and sometimes common attacks against the
outside.
Late 4th century: three kingdoms: from Assuan to 3rd cataract = Nobatia (at Faras), 3rd cataract
to Meroe = Makuria (at Dongola) and Alodia (at Soba).
Nobatia: worshipped traditional gods and were allied with the Blemmyes against the
Christians. When pagan practices were outlawed in Rome (391), they were still allowed to
worshipped at Philae (Isis-cult).
Qasr Ibrim near Abu Simbel = Nubian Pedime had been occupied very long from about 1000 BC
and occupied all the time.
Christianity started in Nobatia under Queen Theodora of Byzantium, soon Christianity was
adopted by the king. The Blemmyes and Makuria converted very fast as well. Later those
were succeeded by Islamic states.
B
Discussion
1
What were the reasons for the fall of Meroe?
The most important reason to me appears to be an increase in powerful neighbours, especially
the rise of Axum in the South, but also the growing Roman influence from the North.
Culturally, the Meroitic Kingdom had always adapted interesting influences from the
surrounding areas, but in this instance, the influence seems to have been too powerful to
maintain coherence.
I also guess that growing desertification in the area had to exert a toll on the supply with all
water and food, making the lands dependent on the imports from elsewhere.
As far as the use of iron and horses is concerned, those advantages most likely came from the
now opposing powers, who had more time to develop skills and strategies in the use of the
iron weapons and the horses.
During all those developments, it seems that the local powers within Meroe slowly gained the
upper hand on the central government and slowly gravitated away from the center,
diversifying and changing alliances in the process.
2
Do different types of artifacts (e.g., bronzes, pottery, costume) reflect different kinds
of outside influence? If so, why would this be?
After the discussion of the grave goods in this post-Meroitic period, it is clear that the types of
artifacts – of course – vary with the location: northern areas are more influenced by Roman
Egypt, while the southers parts of the area were more in touch with African areas and with the
Christian influences from Axum.
It also seems that the iron objects are more related to the idea of government and
battle/defense, like the silver crown shown in the talk, while the elements of decoration seem
to be more reminiscent of Mediterranean cultures, like the Roman pottery decorations or the
Byzantine lamps. This might be linked to different functions in life of the people buried in the
diverse graves. A warrior might be more familiar with the iron weaponry, while a merchant is
more exposed to trade wares of a practical nature, and some may simply have an interest in
artistic expressions, thus an affinity to what is different and new in terms of art.