Political:
Kings and Pharaohs aren't only for the Egyptians you know, they are also used by other indigenous groups along the Nile. The Nubian's are one of those groups along the Nile that use these for their politics. Each of their rulers left behind many monuments and texts in the ancient language that would describe what had happened during the years of their rule. The extensive record of information recorded by the Nubian's are amazing to help us understand what truly happened in our history. The twenty fifth dynasty of Egypt is the time period when the line of rulers originated in the Nubian Kingdom of Kush 760 BC - 656 BC. They were known as the the "Black Pharaohs" and where one of the strongest ruling times conquering much of the land along the Nile. Alara of Nubia is the founder of the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt and is one the strongest rulers in the history of the Nile area. The incorporation of Egypt into the Byzantine Empire brought Christianity to the Nile region, and cause a huge political debate for about three years that ended with the agreement to let it happen as the Pharaoh said it was a good choice and you do not argue with your ruler. The Kings of Nubia ultimately conquered and ruled Egypt for about a century, and in that time there were many large structures built for the Kings. Everyone that was lower then the Kings had to work and do the King's bidding, though this did work for them for many years and caused very few problems.
Creation of Culture Beliefs:
The Story of Creation - According to the beliefs of the Kushites, before creation, the world was all covered with water. Then a mound of earth rose out of the water. On top of this mound, Atum the first god on earth, was born. Atum then gave birth to Shu, the first man on earth, and Tefnut, the first woman goddess. Shu and Tefnu married and gave birth to Geb (the god of Earth) and Nut (god of the Skies). Geb and Nut then were responsible for giving birth to the most important gods in Kush; Osiris (god of the pharaohs), Seth (god of devastation), Isis (god of motherhood), and Nephthys (protector of the dead). Atum signified the concept of creation. Atum was also believed to have created the heavens and earth. He was portrayed as an old man and sometimes with a ram head in connection to Amon.
Re was the most publicly worshiped form of Atum, though the cult emerged as a universal god. The symbol of Re is a sun disk, which is found drawn on chapels of pyramids as well as on temples. They believed in many different gods and that it was the teamwork of the family of gods that created the world. This is why there are so many children from each god as they were a family and they are the family that created the world.
Current Day Research:
Art:
Traditional art done by brush or clay sculptures was not one of the Nubian's strongest areas, but they were amazing at architecture. They built many of their greatest treasures through architecture, from buildings to their pyramids. Temples and other buildings such as - Abu Simbel, Kalabsha Temle, Beit al-Wali, Kiosk of Qertassi, Gerf Hussein, The Temple of Bakka, The Temple of Wadi al-Sabua, The Temple of Amada, The Temple of Derr, Qasr Ibrim, are all built by the Nubian's and just go to show how much effort they put into they're buildings. Today their architectural feats are gazed upon by many people daily as they are incredibly still standing today but are also not studied as much as the Egyptian one because they are smaller so they are believed by many to be worthless, but how is the knowledge of history useless, so many people are start to go and discover them and study them. They show many artistic attributes in the way they present their buildings. Not just a wall but a wall that is covered in paintings, drawings, and sayings, even in today's world they are still keeping this tradition.
Significant People:
- King Alara - Nubian chieftain who started a new dynasty of Kushite Kings. This period was known as the kingdom of Napata.
- King Kashta - This chieftain followed his brother, King Alara, and kept a careful eye on the weakened Egypt.
- King Piye - Nubian leader who conquered lower Egypt and ruled both Egypt and Nubia.
- King Shabaka - He was the brother of Piye; who claimed the Egyptian throne to rule Egypt’s Dynasty 25
- Pharaoh Taharqa - Nubian King ruled during Dynasty 25 remembered for temples he built.
Connections Research:
Cycle of Socialization:
A group of very solo oriented people that keep to themselves and stay alive on their own, this is the Nubian's. They are a group that have lived on their own for many years and are not going to stop what they are doing now just because others do it a different way. They still had many traditions and habits, just like every other culture has, but they have their own and don't ask other cultures to learn them so they do not expect to learn anyone else's. They lived in a way that men and women had different roles but it worked for them unlike many others who had tried this. There was no fighting over who was more important, it was about getting the jobs done and working together to live! A lot of joint efforts were done throughout the community, and everyone was happy. There was only one church and it was a very large building where everyone went and listened to the one ruler, and that was it, no other priests or anything just the one ruler that has the power to speak to the gods. They also had many bonuses of the Nile on one side and the desert on the other side creating a protective barrier and thus giving them the power to control the area for themselves and have very few to no people try and invade them.
