Nobatia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nobatia ⲙⲓⲅⲛ̅ ⲙⲓⲅⲓⲧⲛ︦ ⲅⲟⲩⲗ
c. 400–7th century
Nobatia and the other Christian Nubian kingdoms.
Capital	Pachoras
Common languages	Nubian Greek Coptic
Religion	Isis cult Coptic Orthodox Christianity (From 543)
Government	Monarchy
King of Nobatia
• 450 A.D	Aburni (first known king)
Historical era	Late Antiquity/Early Middle Ages
• Established	c. 400
• Integrated into Makuria	7th century
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Kush Makuria
Today part of	Sudan Egypt

Nobatia (also called Nobadia) was an ancient kingdom in Lower Nubia. This area is now part of modern-day Sudan and Egypt. Nobatia was one of three Nubian kingdoms that took over after the kingdom of Kush ended. The other two kingdoms were Makuria and Alodia.

Nobatia started around the year 400 AD. It grew by defeating a group called the Blemmyes in the north. It also took over land between the second and third Nile cataracts in the south. In 543 AD, Nobatia officially became a Christian kingdom. Later, in the 7th century, it became part of the larger kingdom of Makuria.

History of Nobatia

The kingdom of Nobatia began in a region that used to be a province of the Kingdom of Kush. This province was called Akine. It covered a large part of Lower Nubia. Some historians think Akine might have been independent even before the Kingdom of Kush fell in the mid-4th century.

The people known as the Nobatae were invited to this region by the Roman Emperor Diocletian in 297 AD. They came from the Western Desert. However, their kingdom truly began around 400 AD. Early Nobatia is likely the same civilization that archaeologists call the Ballana culture.

The Nobatae successfully defeated the Blemmyes. A king named Silko, who was a powerful ruler of the Nobatae, claimed to have pushed the Blemmyes into the Eastern Desert. Around this time, the capital city of Nobatia was set up at Pakhoras (which is now called Faras). Soon after, Nobatia adopted a type of Christianity called non-Chalcedonian Christianity.

By the year 707 AD, Nobatia had been taken over by its southern neighbor, Makuria. We don't know exactly how this happened or what became of Nobatia's royal family. This merger probably happened before the Muslim conquest in 652 AD. This is because Arab historical writings only mention one Christian state in Nubia, which reached as far as Old Dongola.

Nobatia seemed to keep some independence within the new Makurian state. It was ruled by an eparch of Nobatia. An eparch was a high-ranking official. This eparch was also called the Domestikos of Pakhoras. These officials were first appointed, but later on, their position seemed to be passed down within families. Some of their records have been found at Fort Ibrim. These records show that the eparchs had a lot of power.

Nobatia's name is often written as al-Maris in Arabic historical texts. The eparchate of Nobadia remained an important part of the Kingdom of Makuria until Makuria itself ended. A document from 1463 AD mentions an eparch named Teedderre, confirming this.

Religion in Nobatia

Ancient Beliefs

For a long time, the main religion in Lower Nubia was the cult of Isis from Philae. This was true since the time of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The importance of this cult continued even after the Ptolemaic and Meroitic periods ended. Nubian pilgrims still traveled to Philae to worship. However, the temple on Philae was eventually closed between 535 and 538 AD. After this, Nubians were not allowed to enter.

Another Isis cult, known as the Greco-Roman mysteries of Isis, was also practiced in Nobatia. This was confirmed by a shrine found in Qasr Ibrim. This cult was also practiced during the Meroitic times.

Spread of Christianity

Evidence from old writings and archaeological finds shows that Christianity was already present in parts of Nobatian society. This was even before the official conversion in 543 AD. The leaders of Nobatia might have started thinking about becoming Christian in the 530s. This was around the same time the Isis temple was closed.

Christianity spread through Nobatia at different speeds. Towns quickly adopted the new religion. However, it took longer for villages to become Christian, happening between the 7th and 9th centuries. South of the second Nile cataract, Christianity seems to have spread later. This might have been in the late 6th or early 7th century. Many old Egyptian temples were changed into churches. Their walls were covered with Christian paintings.

Military Culture

We don't know much about how the Nobatian army was organized. Many of the weapons used by the Nobatians were similar to those from the earlier Meroitic period.

Missile Weapons

Quiver remains from Qustul, around 400 AD

Archaeological discoveries from the time before Christianity show that archery was very important to the Nubians, including the Nobatians. The slightly curved longbows used by Kushite soldiers were replaced. These were replaced by curved composite bows during or after the Meroitic period. These new bows were about one meter long. They were originally designed to be shot while riding a horse.

One simple wooden self bow was found in an early Nobatian burial site in Qustul. The Nobatians used arrows that were about 50 cm long. These arrows had barbs and might have been poisoned. To carry their arrows, they used quivers. These quivers were made from the tanned leather of animals with long necks, like goats or gazelles. They were also decorated with straps and flaps. The archers might have worn their quivers on the front of their bodies, not on their backs.

On the hand that held the bow, archers wore bracelets. These protected their hands from injuries when pulling the bowstring. For important people, these bracelets could be made of silver. Simpler ones were made from animal hide. Archers also wore thumb rings, which were about three to four centimeters in size. This means Nubian archers likely used a drawing technique similar to those in Persia and China, which also used thumb rings.

Two crossbow darts were found at Qasr Ibrim. Before this discovery, the use of crossbows was not known in Nubia.

Melee Weapons

Drawing from the Temple of Kalabsha, showing King Silko on horseback spearing an enemy.

A special weapon for the Nobatians was a type of short sword. It had a straight blade that was sharpened only on one edge. This sword was designed for hacking, not for thrusting. Besides these swords, they also had lances. Some lances had large blades. They also had halberds, which are like a spear and an axe combined. It's possible that the large-bladed lances and halberds were used only for ceremonies, not for fighting.

Body Protection

Nobatian warriors and their leaders used shields and body armor. Most of this armor was made from leather. Pieces of thick animal hide were found in the royal tombs of Qustul. This suggests that important people were often buried wearing their armor. A well-preserved and decorated chest plate made of oxhide was found at Qasr Ibrim. A similar but more broken piece was found at Gebel Adda. This one was made of reptile hide, possibly from a crocodile. Another piece that might have been part of body armor was found at Qustul. It was made of several layers of tanned leather and had lead rosettes (flower-shaped decorations) on it.

Images for kids

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  Wooden box with ivory designs from Jebel Adda (4th century)

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  Royal crown found in Ballana (5th century)

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  Reliefs inside the Isis temple of Philae, showing pilgrims and priests from the south.

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  Copy of a Coptic writing in the Temple of Dendur, marking its change into a church during King Eirpanome's rule (mid-6th century)

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  Coptic writings in the Temple of Kalabsha about its change into a church by Bishop Paul

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  Early 7th-century frieze piece from the Faras Cathedral

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  The changed Temple of Amada with its Christian dome (now gone)

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  Damaged paintings of Christian saints inside the temple of Amada

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  Drawing of the Christian church (red) built inside the temple of Wadi es-Sebua

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  Christian painting of St. Peter in the temple of Wadi es-Sebua

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  Christian wall paintings in the temple of Kalabsha

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  Painting of Christ on the ceiling of the changed Temple of Abu Oda near Gebel Adda