Day 3: Nubia, The Dark Horse

Retlaw Snellac Photography

In History class, we learn that Egypt and Nubia are both considered "the gifts of the Nile", implying that both had similar riches and periodically benefited from mutual trade. However, we are more inclined to hear of Egypt's vast natural riches and historical treasures than of Nubia's success independent of their neighbors to the north. In fact, Egypt sported a Nubian pharaoh for at least three quarters of a century.

Nubia was a stretch of land primarily where [North] Sudan is today. Egypt, lying above Nubia, had been unified under Menes, an early ruler dating back to 3100 BC. Menes and his successors continued ruling Egypt as pharaohs, often associating themselves with gods like Horus (the sky god) and Amon (the sun god). Egypt continued to thrive under pharaohs during the Archaic period and the Old Kingdom. However, Nubia also grew during this period, but independently of their neighbors. 

Charles Bonnet, a Swiss archaeologist, attempted learn more about Nubian history by exploring the pyramids of Sudan (which greatly outnumber those of Egypt). Bonnet's findings show that a complex, heavily populated urban center existed in Nubia; this center had rich fields and large herds, and benefited from the trade of gold, ebony, and ivory. This settlement and empire is believed to have risen around 1785 B.C., when Egypt's Middle Kingdom declined. Soon, Egypt grew fearful of their strong and clearly independent neighbor. From 1539 to 1292 B.C., Egyptian pharaohs set out to conquer this Nubian empire and incorporate Nubians into their own bureaucracy. Soon, the most powerful Nubians had been endorsed with Egyptian culture; many intermarried as well. 

Around the ninth century B.C., Egypt had become divided and torn apart by various warlords. In 730 B.C., King Piye of Nubia saw this as an opportunity to reunify Egypt. But how? His threats we not taken too seriously, for it is believed that he had never ventured to Lower Egypt before then.  Yet everyone's doubtfulness vanished as he campaigned north on the Nile River, terminating each leader in his way. The leaders of Egypt offered Piye the right to their finest jewels and temples in exchange of their lives; Piye listened to many of these requests. Piye took the treasures he was offered, and returned back to Nubia, but now as "The Lord of the Two Lands". Following his death, his ancestors followed his footsteps in controlling both Egypt and Nubia for seventy-five years. 

According to Robert Draper, several renowned historians used to pictured Nubia's leaders as light-skinned Egypto-Libyans ruling over the primitive Africans (p. 40, 2008). However, this is now disproved, as artwork and pyramids in Sudan clearly show King Piye as dark-skinned. However, race and color was completely irrelevant in the ancient world, and the mistake in Piye's race only shows the previous neglect of true Nubian history. Thus, the attention has been on Egypt all this time (for it is immensely rich in history), but perhaps Nubian culture and history is worth a second glance. 

Citations:

Draper, R. (2008, February 1). Black Pharaohs. National Geographic, I, 34-59.