132 



NATURE 



[September 30, 19 15 



The evidence for the earliest spread of Egyptian influ- 

 ence is set forth in the Reports of the Archaeological 

 Survey of Nubia, In the reports, Prof. Elliot Smith 

 shows that beyond Aswan, as far south as exploration 

 has proceeded, the basis of the ancient population from 

 the earliest times to the end of the Middle Empire was 

 essentially of proto-Egyptian type, and that this type 

 became progressively modified by dynastic Egyptian 

 influence from the north, and Negro and Negroid, 

 influence from the south. As a result, the Nubians 

 contemporary with the New Empire present such pro- 

 nounced Negroid characteristics as to form a group 

 (the C group) which stands apart from its Nubian and 

 Egyptian predecessors. The recent discoveries made 

 by Prof. Reisner at Kerma in Dongola province show 

 that here was a fort or trading post certainly occupied 

 during the Hyksos period, and probably as far back 

 as the VI. dynasty. It is the remains of the Hyksos 

 period that are especially interesting. Reisner de- 

 scribes a people who razed the buildings of their pre- 

 decessors, and buried their dead in the ddbris, who 

 battered the statues of Egyptian kings of the XII. 

 dynasty, and whose funerary customs were entirely 

 un-Egyptian. Each burial pit contains a number of 

 graves in every one of which several bodies had been 

 interred. The chief personage lies on a carved bed; 

 " under his head is a wooden pillow ; between his legs 

 a sword or dagger; beside his feet cowhide sandals 

 and an ostrich-feather fan. At his feet is buried a 

 ram, often with ivory knobs on the tips of the horns 

 to prevent goring. Around the bed lie a varying num- 

 ber of bodies, male and female, all contracted on the 

 right side, head east. Among them are the pots and 

 pans, the cosmetic jars, the stools, and other objects. 

 Over the whole burial is spread a great ox-hide." 

 Reisner could not observe any marks of violence, but, 

 judging from the contorted positions of some of the 

 bodies, thought that they had been buried alive. The 

 rernains from these burials have been examined by 

 Elliot Smith, who states that the skeletons surround- 

 ing the bedstead are those of folk of proto-Egyptian 

 and Middle Nubian (C group) types, while those on the 

 beds belonged to typical New Empire Egyptians, such 

 as lived in the Thebaid at this time. 



The first historical capital of the Sudan was 

 Napata, the mediaeval Merowe or Merawi, near Jebel 

 Barkal, between the 19th and 20th parallels of lati- 

 tude, a few miles south of the Fourth Cataract. 

 Napata was certainly an important place in the 

 XVIII. dynasty, but how much earlier is uncertain. 

 In the XX. dynasty the high priest of Ammon 

 assumed the viceregency of Nubia, and there is 

 evidence that during the two succeeding dynasties 

 the priestly families of Thebes set up at Napata a 

 kingdom which, in theon^ at least, reproduced the 

 theocracy of Ammon at Thebes. The first recorded 

 lord of this new kingdom was Kashta, whose son 

 Piankhi succeeded him about 741 B.C., and by 721 B.C. 

 had conquered and garrisoned Egypt almost as far 

 north as the Fayum. His brother' Shabaka founded 

 the XXV. (Nubian) dynasty, which lasted at least fifty 

 years. Thus Napata was Egyptianised, and being a 

 great trading centre cannot but have influenced pro- 

 foundly the country to the south, so that when Meroe 

 was founded in the eighth century B.C. the ruling 

 influence must have been Egfyptian. The mission 

 sent by Nero to explore the Nile reported that Meroe 

 was ruled by a Queen Candace, whose predecessors 

 had borne that name for many generations. Yet, 

 since the monuments show that a king was generally 

 the head of the State, Pliny's assertion requires 

 qualification ; moreover, there is the perfectly definite 

 reference to King Ergamenes slaughtering the priests 

 who, as was the custom, had determined his death. 



NO. 2396, VOL. 96] 



In both statements I cannot but see examples of 

 Egyptian theocratic influence. Nor are they mutually 

 destructive if it be remembered that the throne might, 

 and often did, pass in the female line, and that this 

 practice was known to be in full force during the 

 XVIII. and later dynasties. It would be entirely 

 consonant with the policy of the priests of Ammon to 

 take advantage of the spirit of the sed festival, the 

 rite of ceremonial Osirification practised by the 

 Egyptian kings, in order to obtain for themselves 

 absolute political control. This would be the easier 

 if among the barbaric tribes in southern Nubia the 

 king was ceremonially killed as he recently was in 

 Fazogli, and as he still is among the Nilotes. 

 Strabo's description makes clear how relatively 

 narrow was the stream of northern civilisation which 

 penetrated Black Africa by way of the Nile valley. 

 But even this civilisation did not come with a steady 

 flow ; when Egypt prospered under the early 

 Ptolemies Meroe prospered; as Egypt decayed Meroe 

 fell into the wretched condition recorded by Nero's 

 officers ; and even before this Candace could assert 

 that neither the name nor condition of Caesar was 

 known to her. As northern influence lessened, and 

 the power of Meroe decayed, the black element would 

 preponderate more and more, so that the travellers 

 quoted by Pliny who had actually visited Ethiopia 

 told a story of barbarism and utter stagnation. But 

 even in the earlier and better days when a king 

 exerted real authority at Meroe it would be entirely 

 consonant with African politics and African customs 

 for vassal "kingdoms" to arise at the extremes of the 

 State. So, when it is recorded on the authority of 

 Eratosthenes that in the third century B.C. the 

 Sembritae who occupied an island south of Meroe 

 were ruled by a " queen " but recognised the 

 suzerainty of Meroe, we may think of the petty 

 chieftains of the eighteenth century who were the 

 true rulers of the country from Dongola to Sennar, 

 though every sultan of Sennar claimed sovereign 

 rights. There may have been many such "states" 

 ruled by women, just as at the present day In the 

 Nuba hills the highest authority passes in the female 

 line, and may be exerted by a woman. 



Meroe seems to have been destroyed before the 

 Introduction of Christianity. Nevertheless, two if not 

 three culture phases can be traced In Its history. 

 There was first a period of Egyptian Influence under 

 King Aspelut and his successors, then came an influx 

 of Greek ideas, a phase which Prof. Garstang would 

 date from about the third century B.C. This Is the 

 period to which most of the monuments now visible 

 belong, and It was succeeded by the period of Roman 

 dominance. At Soba, on the Blue Nile a few miles 

 above Khartum, Lepsius collected the cartouches of 

 a number of kings and queens of Meroe; this site, 

 the capital of the Christian kingdom of 'Alwah, was 

 certainly inhabited through mediaeval times, and may 

 not have been fully deserted till three or four hundred 

 years ago. 



No doubt the territory over which the rulers of 

 'Alwah exerted authority extended south of their 

 capital, yet beyond Soba, In the archaeologically un- 

 explored country south of the confluence of the two 

 rivers, traces of northern Influence quickly become 

 fewer and less distinct. Nevertheless, at the present 

 day among the hills between the White and Blue 

 Nlles the name Soba Is still known, being recognised 

 as that of a series of great queens who ruled over a 

 mighty empire of the same name. The Fung or 

 Hameg of Jebel Gule say that the great Queen Soba 

 whom they worship was their ancestress, but they 

 also apply her name to certain rocks which they 

 regard as sacred. A prayer given me by a woman 



