Nobatia
Nobatia ⲙⲓⲅⲛ̅ ⲙⲓⲅⲓⲧⲛ︦ ⲅⲟⲩⲗ | |||||||||
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c. 400–7th century | |||||||||
Religion | Isis cult Coptic Orthodox Christianity (From 543) | ||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
King of Nobatia | |||||||||
• 450 A.D | Aburni (first known king) | ||||||||
Historical era | Late Antiquity/Early Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Established | c. 400 | ||||||||
• Integrated into Makuria | 7th century | ||||||||
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Today part of | Sudan Egypt |
Nobatia
History
The kingdom of Nobatia had been founded in the former Meroitic province of Akine, which comprised large parts of Lower Nubia and is speculated to have been autonomous already before the ultimate fall of the Kingdom of Kush in the mid 4th century.[2]
While the Nobatae
Eventually, the Nobatae were successful in defeating the
By 707, Nobatia had been annexed by their southern neighbor,
Nobatia՚s name is often given as
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Wooden casket with ivory inlays,Jebel Adda(4th century)
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Royal crown discovered in Ballana (5th century)
Religion
Paganism
Since
Christianity
As confirmed by epigraphical and archaeological evidence, Christianity was already present among parts of the Nobadian society even before the official conversion of 543.[10] The Nobadian elite might have started considering to convert to Christianity in the 530s, parallel to when the Isis temple was shut down.[11] Christianity proceeded to spread through Nobadia on various levels at different speeds. Towns, for example, were quick in adopting the new religion, while the Christianization of the villages was not accomplished until the 7th–9th centuries.[12] South of the second cataract, Christianity seems to have begun spreading later than in the north, possibly since the late 6th or early 7th century.[13] Many ancient Egyptian temples were converted to churches and plastered with Christian wall paintings.
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Copy of a Coptic inscription in the Temple of Dendur, commemorating the conversion of the temple into a church during the reign of king Eirpanome (mid-6th century)
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Coptic inscriptions in the Temple of Kalabsha commemorating its conversion into a church by a certain bishop Paul
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Early-7th-century frieze fragment of the Faras cathedral
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The converted Temple of Amada with the now-demolished Christian dome
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Damaged paintings of Christian saints inside the temple of Amada
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Plan of the Christian church (red) inserted into the temple ofWadi es-Sebua
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Christian painting ofSt. Peterin the temple of Wadi es-Sebua
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Christian wall paintings in the temple of Kalabsha
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Painting ofChrist on the ceiling of the converted Temple of Abu Oda near Gebel Adda
Military culture
Nothing is known about the organization of the Nobatian army.[14] Many of the weapons employed by the Nobatians had come from the Meroitic period.[15]
Missile weapons
Archaeology from the pagan period confirms the relevance archery had for the Nubians and therefore also the Nobatians.
At Qasr Ibrim, two crossbow darts have been discovered. The use of crossbows had hitherto been unattested in Nubia.[25]
Melee weapons
A weapon characteristic for the Nobadians was a type of short sword.[26] It has a straight hollow-ground blade which was sharpened only on one edge and was therefore not designed to thrust, but to hack.[27] Apart from said swords, there were also lances, some of them with large blades, as well as halberds. It is possible that the large-bladed lances and the halberds were only ceremonial.[28]
Body protection
Nobadian warriors and their leadership made use of shields and body armour, most of it manufactured from leather.[26][27] Fragments of thick hide have been found in the royal tombs of Qustul, suggesting that the principal interment was usually buried while wearing armour.[29] A well-preserved and richly decorated breastplate made of oxhide comes from Qasr Ibrim,[27] while a comparable, but more fragmentary piece was discovered at Gebel Adda, albeit this one was made of reptile hide, possibly from a crocodile.[30] Another fragment which possibly once constituted a body armour comes from Qustul. It consists of several layers of tanned leather and was studded with lead rosettes.[26]
Notes
- ^ Pierce, Richard. "Nubian Toponyms in Medieval Nubian Sources". Dotawo: A Journal of Nubian Studies. 4.
- ^ Obluski 2014, pp. 195–196.
- ^ Obluski 2014, p. 35.
- ^ Welsby 2002, p. 88.
- ^ Lajtar 2011, p. 123.
- ^ Werner 2013, pp. 145–146.
- ^ Adams 2013, p. 154-155.
- ^ Obluski 2014, p. 170.
- ^ Adams 2013, p. 155-156.
- ^ Obluski 2014, pp. 171, 173–174.
- ^ Obluski 2014, p. 171.
- ^ Obluski 2014, pp. 173–175.
- ^ Obluski 2014, pp. 177–178.
- ^ Welsby 2002, p. 82.
- ^ Williams 1991, p. 76.
- ^ Welsby 2002, p. 78.
- ^ Zielinski 2015, p. 794.
- ^ Williams 1991, p. 84.
- ^ Williams 1991, p. 77.
- ^ Williams 1991, p. 78.
- ^ Zielinski 2015, p. 801.
- ^ Zielinski 2015, p. 795.
- ^ Zielinski 2015, p. 798.
- ^ Zielinski 2015, p. 798-899.
- ^ Adams 2013, p. 138.
- ^ a b c Williams 1991, p. 87.
- ^ a b c Welsby 2002, p. 80.
- ^ Welsby 2002, p. 79.
- ^ Welsby 2002, p. 80-81.
- ^ Hubert & Edwards 2010, p. 87.
References
- Adams, William Y. (2013). Qasr Ibrim: The Ballana Phase. Egypt Exploration Society. ISBN 978-0856982163.
- Hubert, Reinhard; Edwards, David N. (2010). "Gebel Abba Cemetery One, 1963. Post-medieval reuse of X-Group tumuli". Sudan&Nubia. 14: 83–90.
- Lajtar, Adam (2011). "Qasr Ibrim's last land sale, AD 1463 (EA 90225)". Nubian Voices. Studies in Christian Nubian Culture.
- Obluski, Artur (2014). The Rise of Nobadia. Social Changes in Northern Nubia in Late Antiquity. University of Warsaw Faculty of Law and Administration. ISBN 978-8392591993.
- Welsby, Derek (2002). The Medieval Kingdoms of Nubia. Pagans, Christians and Muslims along the Middle Nile. The British Museum. ISBN 0714119474.
- Werner, Roland (2013). Das Christentum in Nubien. Geschichte und Gestalt einer afrikanischen Kirche. Lit.
- Williams, Bruce Beyer (1991). Noubadian X-Group Remains from Royal Complexes in Cemeteries Q and 219 and from Private Cemeteries Q, R, V, W, B, J and M at Qustul and Ballana. The University of Chicago.
- Zielinski, Lukasz (2015). "New insights into Nubian archery". Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean. 24 (1): 791–801.
Further reading
- Dane, Rachael Jane (2006). Aesthetics and identity at Qustul and Ballana, Lower Nubia (PDF). Durham thesis.
- Dijkstra, J. H. F. (2005). Religious encounters on the southern Egyptian frontier in Late Antiquity (AD 298- 642) (PDF).
- Dijkstra, J. H. F. (2014). "I, Silko, Came to Talmis and Taphis". Interactions between the Peoples beyond the Egyptian Frontier and Rome in Late Antiquity". In J.H.F. Dijkstra; G. Fisher (eds.). Inside and Out: Interactions between Rome and the Peoples on the Arabian and Egyptian Frontiers in Late Antiquity. Leuven. pp. 299–330. ISBN 978-90-429-3124-4.
- Fuller, Dorian (2015). "The Economic Basis of the Qustul Splinter State: Cash Crops, Subsistence Shifts, and Labour Demands in the Post-Meroitic Transition". In Michael Zach (ed.). The Kushite World. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference for Meroitic Studies. Vienne, 1-4 September 2008. Verein der Förderer der Sudanforschung. pp. 33–60.
- Godlewski, Wlodzimierz (1986). "Remarks on the Art of Nobadia (V–VIII Century)". Nubische Studien.
- Rostowska, Bozena (1982). "Nobadian painting. Present state of investigations". Nubia Christiana. pp. 283–299.