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Collections > Meroitic period

Around 590 BC, after a brief, disastrous war with the 26th Dynasty ruler of Egypt, Psammeticus II, the Kushite kings retreated further south, making Meroe their capital. At this time the Nubian kings turned their attention more to the southern part of their kingdom, which was very rich in gold, animal products, and especially iron ore, as suggested by the great amount of slag still seen in the area. Not only did the Nubians produce iron, they also, for the first time, started to write in their own language, called Meroitic, in an alphabet of their own invention. Unfortunately, the language remains almost entirely undeciphered.

Bowl, Karanog, Nubia
Cup, Karanog, Nubia
Offering table, Nubia
Ba statue, Karanog, Nubia
Statue of lion, Gebel Adda, Nubia
Statue of Meroitic queen & prince, Meroe, Nubia