Ancient Egypt History

Introduction

Nubians and Egyptians had a long history of relationships. There are diverse events that occurred at the time of Egyptian occupation of Nubia. These events had influenced the culture and social systems of Nubia. On the other side, Nubia was very significant for Egyptians from an economic point of view (Williams, pp. 770).

For many centuries, Nubians had remained the reservoir of manpower. Egyptian rulers had always drawn their fighting forces from Nubians. Initially, Nubian leaders had little to offer to Egypt except the promise of stability (James, pp. 677). In order to take over Nubia in the New Kingdom, Egyptians took a substantial amount of time. During the power of Egyptian Kings in Nubia, there were significant interactions between these two civilizations.

Discussion

The history of Egypt has been influenced by diverse groups of foreigners. One of these groups includes Nubians (Leahy, pp. 255). All through the history of Middle Kingdom, Egypt exploited Nubia. Egyptian's exploration of Nubia was significant for diverse reasons. First all, Nubia was a reservoir of rich natural resources. The resources present in Nubia included gold, ebony, cattle, and ivory. In addition, Nubia was the main source of man power for Egypt.

It is not easy to explain the historical political status of the Nubian society. It is because of a lack of textual resources that are available. According to many researchers, the society was highly stratified. It existed during the time period of Middle Kerma (O'Connor, pp. 145).

The rise of a Nubia state at Kerma resulted in a commanding response from Egypt. At that time, elites from Nubia and Egypt exchanged luxury good and ornaments. The style of the people of Kerma was very distinctive. However, the influence of Egypt is evident in the Kerma art. When the Middle Kingdom ended, Kerma took control of Lower Nubia and co-opted the fortress communities. Egypt initiated the endeavors to occupy Nubia in the Second Intermediate Period. In turn, Kerma resisted the aggression of Egypt. Despite of the resistance, Kerma collapsed within the fifty years of the initial attack. The Egyptian frontier was originally built at the north of Kerma. However, it was later extended the Fourth Cataract. In the upper and lower Nubia, temple and towns were built. In order to obtain a good flow of revenue from Nubia, the fortress of Egypt was maintained in the region (Kemp, pp.7). During the ancient times, the Nile was the main axis of exchange. The Nubian territory was a corridor from Africa to Mediterranean Sea.

Relationship between Nubia and Egypt

During the era of Old Kingdom, the relationships between Nubians and Egyptians were productive. The people from the land of Medja were outstanding warriors. People from Nubia were employed as mercenaries by Egyptians. Later, Nubians also began to perform the duties of the police force in Egypt (Säve-Söderbergh, pp. 188). The employment of Nubians in Egyptians army was very common. It can be witnessed from the fact that the term Mejday was used to refer to policemen.

The relationships ...