Ancient Egpyt

Nubia is often regarded as the home of Africa's earliest black culture, tracing a history from around 3100 B.C. onwards. Nonetheless it is often overlooked in favour of its great northern rival, the Egyptian civilisation. This has occurred to such an extent that most archaeological findings were centred on the Egyptians. Following discoveries in the Nubian city of Kerma many originally thought it to have been an Egyptian colony . But plentiful evidence now suggests that instead it was a thriving Nubian city that had prolonged contact with the Egyptians. I shall be discussing to what extent Nubia itself was influenced by Egypt, whether it was an Egyptian colony, or whether it was a civilisation unique on it's own.

Nubia is widely believed to be the first example of a sub-Saharan and black African state, in an otherwise stateless society. The early Egyptian civilisation, on the other hand, whilst African, is often thought not to be a black civilisation due to its influences from abroad. Today, Nubia can be located in Southern Egypt and northern Sudan, with inhabitants of the region still referring to themselves as Nubians. Whilst today it possesses one of the harshest climates in the world, during antiquity it was a place of great natural wealth, enjoying gold mines, ebony, ivory and incense, all of which were greatly sought after. Since they didn't begin to write their own languages until very late in ancient times, what we know about the old civilisation comes from archaeology and accounts by the Egyptians and Greeks. For the ancient Mediterranean world, the land south of Egypt was a region of immense mystery and legend, home of great wealth and exotic produce. At this time, Nubia was the home of many Ethiopians, whom were widely respected in the ancient world. Greek historian Diodorus referred to them as Ð''the first of all men', claiming Ð''the sacrifices practiced among the Ethiopians (i.e. the black peoples) are the most pleasing to the heavens.' The famous philosopher Homer exclaimed Ð''For Zeus had yesterday to Ocean's bounds, Set forth to feat with Ethiop's faultless men'. This highlights the respect the Ð''black peoples' south of Egypt had amongst its contemporaries. Indeed, some even believed that the Egyptians were merely colonists sent out by these peoples, with the customs of the Egyptians being the colonists preserving their ancient manners . Thus it appears that many in ancient Greece, believed Egypt to be a product of Nubians, rather than the other way round.

The earliest Nubian culture is believed to have originated in Northern Nubia either before or around the time of the early Pharaohs. Even at this time they gained recognition from their Egyptian neighbours as being Ð''the Land of the Bow' because of their skilled archers. Incidentally, even at this early time their burials consisted of burying the dead with pottery and cosmetics. One of the features of Egyptian burial being the burial with belongings, this suggests a link between the two cultures. Furthermore, these Nubian graves appeared to belong to cultivators, who are physically similar to the pre-dynastic Egyptians . This early period in history also appears to indicate a shared economic and political growth between the two groups. This can be seen from the settlement expansion and graves found in Nubia, more extravagant than that of the early pharaohs. Thus Nubia began to prosper greatly from Egypt's own expansion. However at this time, it is estimated that no more than half a million people inhabited the region of Nubia. Prosperity in Egypt would thus make Nubia weak in terms of threat from their neighbours, and so it proved, as Egypt began to make military expeditions to conquer the region.

The first Kingdom in Nubia was founded at Kerma. The people of Kerma are believed to have settled around 2500 B.C. after previously being nomadic Saharan people. Kerma derived much of it's wealth from the surrounding agricultural region, and trade with the south. After the decline of the 6th dynasty around 2150, Egypt experienced more than a century of weakness and internal conflict, giving the immigrants in Nubia time to develop their own distinct civilization with unique crafts, architecture, and social structure, virtually unimpeded by the potentially more dynamic civilization to the north . Burial was again very extravagant, with the dead being buried in huge round tombs, accompanied by hundreds of sacrifices. This draws similarities to the sacrifices of the Egyptians at this time, indicating possible associations. Kerma culture involved many accomplished metal workers, who also made thin-walled pottery on a wheel. Around this time Nubia also became known as Kush, and relations with Egypt also increased greatly. Kerma at its peak, pushed far up into Egyptian territory, reaching Aswan, as well as forming various alliances with Egypt's warring dynasties. Also, around this time, Kerma began adopting many Egyptian practices. They began using copper for vessels and weapons, building a walled capital, and started building religious centers to resemble the Egyptian temples . This represents a significant role Egyptian culture played in the evolution of the Nubian civilization. The arrival of the New Kingdom in Egypt however marked further southward expansion. Egypt dominated parts of Nubia from about 1950 to 1000 BC. During this period, colonies of Egyptian officials, traders, and priests infiltrated Nubian society. Forts, trading posts and Egyptian style temples were built in Kush, indicating a colonial style presence. Furthermore the Nubian elite adopted the worship of Egyptian gods and even the Egyptian hieroglyphic writing system. Yet beyond these outposts the Nubians continued to preserve their own distinct traditions, customs, and crafts. A unique culture thus arose in Kush, fashioned by that of Egypt to the north and those of African peoples to the south. Likewise, Nubian culture affected that of the Egyptians. The gold, ebony and ivory of Nubia contributed to the wealth of Egypt, and many of the illustrious treasures of the Egyptian kings were made of products from Nubia. Late in the first half of the 8th century B.C. the kings of Kush invaded and conquered Egypt, founding the 28th Dynasty. One may view it as the creators (Egypt), being conquered by the created (Nubia), or merely a further merging of ideas and cultures very much interlinked

One may argue that Egyptian interests in Nubia were triggered immensely by the concept of economics; with exploitation becoming a key characteristic of the way Egypt conducted relations with the Nubians. Due to the wealthy riches in Nubia, the Egyptians mined precious metals such as gold and electrum extensively. Nubia was