Nubian history is not about the ongoing cycle of external influence and disruption created by Egypt

https://www.linkedin.com/grp/post/2938384-6009736842029592580

Ellie Rose Elliott independent researcher, writer and translator

1 day ago

Nubian history is not about the ongoing cycle of external influence and disruption created by Egypt over the millennia, it is the continuous history of a free people, and should be seen as such.

The fact that this has to be seen as an innovative approach shows that there is much work still to be done. The classical perspective that saw Nubia only through Egyptian eyes and judged its culture only by its relationship with and conformity to Egyptian social and religious norms, is being replaced by a determination to see it as a power in its own right, and in its own terms.

This is an expensive book, but hopefully it may be in a library somewhere near you. The author is dealing with the period after the fall of Meroe and is rebuilding our whole impression of what was happening, based on the simple thought that it was all about Nubia as a political entity and that what's happening in the history just needs to be taken seriously as such.

Dr. Artur Obłuski is involved with the excavation at al-Ghazali in Northern Sudan, where Polish archaeologists have discovered a unique church in the Byzantine style and a large number of fragments of funerary stelae and inscribed vessels, with a pilgrimage centre attached: http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/byzantine-monastery-discovered-in.html#.VWc9sdJVhHw

The Rise of Nobadia Social Changes in Northern Nubia in Late Antiquity [Hardback]

oxbowbooks.com

Details

The author of this book presents an innovative approach to the history of Nubia. The period covered includes the fall of Meroe and the rise of the united kingdom of Nobadia and Makuria. The emphasis was put on the analysis of social and political change/dynamics/transformations. Moreover some major improvements of the chronological nomenclature have been suggested. To date, it has been largely influenced by the early 20th cent. politically incorrect approach to African cultures and the contemporary state of research. The author implies that there is actually no reason which would compel modern scholars to study and describe the history of Nubia in other ways than the rest of the world. It means that all studies postdating this path-breaking book should be based on actual political changes and not vague racial or religious criteria. Nowadays we can be certain that after the fall of Meroe there was no political vacuum, but various political organisms immediately started to rise: Nobadia, Makuria and Alwa. For this reason the term 'Group X' should not be used any longer.

Reviews & Quotes

"…Obłuski’s broader claim about the essential continuity of Nubian late antiquity is convincing. It is in keeping with more general trends in Nubian studies, which have in the last generation seen Nubian studies less as an ongoing cycle of external influence and disruption and more as the continuous history of a single population. Obłuski’s work on late antique Nubia is a welcome addition to this corpus."
Giovanni R. Ruffini
Bryn Mawr Classical Review (2015.01.31 )