Chapters › Origins & Kerma · Sudan – Middle Nile
Egyptian New Kingdom rule in Nubia
1500 BCE – 1070 BCE Arabic under review
Approximate area of control
Research in progress No areas drawn: the file only has reference points.
Reference points
- Kurgus frontier [medium] — N.M. Sherif (ch.10), in G. Mokhtar (ed.) (1981) General History of Africa, II: Ancient Civilizations of Africa – 'Nubia before Napata' pp. 265
- Napata / Fourth Cataract [medium] — G. Mokhtar (ed.), UNESCO International Scientific Committee (1981) General History of Africa, II: Ancient Civilizations of Africa pp. 270
- Soleb (temple) [low] — Wikipedia contributors Viceroy of Kush
Dating note
WHC: Gebel Barkal sacred to Amun since c.1500 BCE. Soleb/Kurgus coordinates from Wikidata (approximate).
Key events
- Viceroy of Kush administers Nubia
- Temples at Jebel Barkal, Soleb, Abu Simbel
Capitals / sites
Jebel Barkal / Napata, Soleb, Kurgus
Geopolitics
Ruled by a viceroy, the 'King's son of Kush', directly responsible to Pharaoh; Nubia was split into Wawat (Nekhen to the Second Cataract) and Kush (Second to Fourth Cataract). Native chiefs kept sovereignty in their districts (GHA II ch.9, p.270).
Culture
Egyptianisation: after early resistance, temples were built all over Nubia by the kings of the 18th and 19th dynasties; the viceroy was also the religious head of the country (GHA II ch.9, p.270).
Economy
Gold was 'the principal product of Nubia', mined around Wadi el-Allaqi, Wadi Gabgaba and along the Nile to Abu Hamed; Wawat's annual tribute under Thutmose III was 550 pounds. Tribute also included ebony, ivory, incense, cattle, skins and, by the late 18th Dynasty, manufactured goods (GHA II ch.9, pp.272–273).
Regional power
Research in progress We have not yet read a source for this section. It will be added once one is checked; nothing is filled in by guesswork.
Open data flags
- regional_power: no actors scored
- Pass 13 text: Arabic is a working translation; needs native review
Sources
- G. Mokhtar (ed.), UNESCO International Scientific Committee (1981) General History of Africa, II: Ancient Civilizations of Africa UNESCO / Heinemann / University of California Press link [en]
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2003) Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region UNESCO link [en]
- K. Michałowski (1981) The spreading of Christianity in Nubia (General History of Africa II, ch.12) UNESCO link [en]
- Wikipedia contributors Viceroy of Kush Wikipedia link [en]