Meroe and Aksum
Meroe and Aksum
- Alemseged BeldadosAlemseged BeldadosDepartment of Archaeology, Addis Ababa University
Summary
Within the tropics of Africa, the oldest identified cities and states are located along the Middle Nile in Nubia. One of the best documented of these cities and states is Meroe. It is situated about 124 miles (200 km) northeast of Khartoum. The city of Meroe was mentioned by Herodotus as far back as the 5th century bce. According to Herodotus, Meroe was the major city of the Ethiopians/formerly also known as abyssinia. In the 21st century, the site of Meroe is the largest archaeological site in Sudan. As an archaeological site, the structures cover an area of about half a mile (0.8 km). The Meroitic state was in power for almost 600 years (between 250 bce and 350 ce). Within this period, fifty-seven kings and queens were recorded to have ruled the empire. Women had political influence as leaders during the height of Meroitic power.
The Aksumite civilization flourished during the first half of the 1st century ce in the valley of west-central Tigray between the Beta Giyorgis and Mai Qoho plateaus. It lasted until the 7th century ce. Most of the data about the cultivation of crops during the Aksumite period have been acquired from archaeological studies of soil samples from various contexts of excavations. Animal remains have also been well studied. Observations of the remaining structures and buildings that are still erect have enabled an understanding of the raw materials used in Aksumite architecture. In almost all cases, the raw materials used were stones with additions of wooden parts.
The presence of long-standing contact between Meroe and Aksum can be reconstructed through archaeological and architectural material culture remains recovered on both sides.
Subjects
- Northeastern Africa