Military of ancient Nubia
[1] Nubia was the seat of several civilizations of ancient Africa, including the Kerma culture, the Kingdom of Kush, Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia.
Evidence of archery in Ancient Nubia traces back to Neolithic rock art present throughout the region and high distributions of bow and arrows accompanying male burials of all ages.
The bow and arrow was a primary feature in Kerman militaries, with evidence of an elite warrior class possessing bronze weaponry modeled after Egyptian examples.
[4] The Kingdom of Kush, which succeeded Kerma, enhanced military organization and logistics in Nubia, emerging as a formidable threat to Egypt.
[7] The Kerma culture demonstrated significant military sophistication, evident by archaeological findings that reveal an elite class of specialized warriors.
Many royal burials, or tumuli, contain the remains of these warriors, whose skeletons often exhibit consistent trauma, suggesting a lifetime dedicated to combat.
Soldiers of lower rank were equipped with simpler yet effective weaponry including bows and arrows, throwing sticks, and clubs.
[4] Ta-Seti which means; "land of the bow" was the name used to refer to Nubia itself by the ancient Egyptians for their skills in archery.
During the Second Intermediate Period, they were even used in Kamose's campaign against the Hyksos[12] and became instrumental in making the Egyptian state into a military power.
[16] Taharqa began cultivating alliances with elements in Phoenicia and Philistia who were prepared to take a more independent position against Assyria.
[16] Torok mentions the military success was due to Taharqa's efforts to strengthen the army through daily training in long-distance running, as well as Assyria's preoccupation with Babylon and Elam.
[28] The rebellion was stopped and Ashurbanipal appointed as his vassal ruler in Egypt Necho I, who had been king of the city Sais.
Kushite forces were mostly infantry and their armament consisted of bows about 4 cubits long, shields of rawhide, clubs, hatchets, pikes and swords.
[31] The Kushites penetrated as far south as the Aswan area, defeating three Roman cohorts, conquering Syene, Elephantine and Philae, capturing thousands of Egyptians, and toppling bronze statutes of Augustus recently erected there.
The head of one of these Augustian statutes was carried off to Meroe as a trophy, and buried under a temple threshold of the Kandake Amanirenas, to commemorate the Kushite victory, and symbolically tread on her enemies.
[32][33][34] A year later, Rome dispatched troops under Gaius Petronius to confront the Kushites, with the Romans repulsing a poorly armed Meroitic force at Pselchis.
[37] These setbacks did not settle hostilities however, for a Kushite resurgence occurred just three years later under the queen or Kandake Amanirenas, with strong reinforcements of African troops from further south.
[39] The Meroitic diplomats were invited to confer with the Roman emperor Augustus himself on the Greek island of Samos where he was headquartered temporarily.
The Kushites too appear to have found nomads like the Blemmyes to be a problem, allowed Rome monitoring and staging outposts against them, and even conducted joint military operations with the Romans in later years against such mauraders.
Inscriptions erected by Queen Amanirenas on an ancient temple at Hamadab, south of Meroe, record the war and the favorable outcome from the Kushite perspective.
For almost 600 years, the powerful bowmen of the region created a barrier for Muslim expansion into the northeast of the African continent, fighting off multiple invasions and assaults.
[46] According to Ayalon: Another historian notes: The Nubians constituted an "African front" that barred Islam's spread, along with others in Central Asia, India and the Anatolian/Mediterranean zone.
Whereas the Islamic military expansion began with swift conquests across Byzantium, Central Asia, the Maghreb and Spain, such quick triumphs foundered at the Sudanic barrier.
[48] Internal divisions, along with infiltration by nomads were to weaken the "Nubian dam" however, and eventually it gave way to Muslim expansion from Egypt and elsewhere in the region.
[49] Greek historian, Herodotus indicated that primary bow construction was of seasoned palm wood, with arrows made of cane.
Following his army's lack of success he undertook the personal supervision of operations including the erection of a siege tower from which Kushite archers could fire down into the city.
[61] Early shelters protecting sappers armed with poles trying to breach mud-brick ramparts gave way to Battering rams.
[60] The use of the battering ram by Kushite forces against Egyptian cities are recorded on the stele of Piye; Then they fought against "The Peak, Chest of victories"...Then a battering ram was employed against it, so that its walls were demolished and a great slaughter made among them in incalculable numbers, including the son of the Chief of the Ma, Tefnakht....The Meroitic infantry attacking Rome consisted of shields of rawhide, clubs, hatchets, pikes and swords.
[63][64] Fragments of thick hide have been found in the royal tombs of Qustul, suggesting that the principal interment was usually buried while wearing armor.
[67] A well-preserved and richly decorated breastplate made of oxhide comes from Qasr Ibrim,[64] while a comparable, but more fragmentary piece was discovered at Gebel Adda.
