Napata

18°32′N31°50′E/ 18.53°N 31.84°E/18.53; 31.84

Napata

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Location of Napata

npy
Napata^[1]
inhieroglyphs

Napata/ˈnæpətə/^[2](Old EgyptianNpt,Npy;MeroiticNapa;Ancient Greek:Νάπατα^[3]and Ναπάται^[4]) was a city of ancientKushat the fourth cataract of theNilefounded by the Egyptian Amun cult for Egyptian pilgrims given by its, as suggested, Egyptian name. It is located approximately 1.5 kilometers from the east side of the river at the site of modernKarima, Sudan.

Napata was the southernmost permanent settlement in theNew Kingdom of Egypt(16th–11th centuries BC) and home toJebel Barkal,the main Kushite cult centre ofAmun.It was the sometime capital of theTwenty-fifth Dynasty of Egyptand, after its fall in 663 BC, of theKingdom of Kush.In 593 BC, it was sacked by the Egyptians and the Kushite capital was relocated toMeroë.Even after this move, Napata continued to be the kingdom's primary religious centre.^[5]The city was sacked a second time by theRomansin 23 BC but was rebuilt and continued as an important centre of theAmuncult.^[6]

The terms "Napata" or "Napatan period" can also refer to the Kushite polity from its rise around 750 BC until 270 BC, when Napata finally lost its symbolic significance as the location of royal burials to Meroë. The subsequent period of Kushite history is called Meroitic down to the collapse of the kingdom.^[7]

Early history[edit]

npt
Napata^[1]
inhieroglyphs

Napata was founded byThutmose IIIin the 15th century BC after his conquest of Kush. Because Egyptians believed that the inundation of the Nile equated Creation, Napata's location as the southernmost point in the empire led it to become an important religious centre and settlement.^[5]In the Early 18th Dynasty,Jebel Barkal,a lone sandstone butte, became a focus of Egyptian cultic religion as the residence of their state god Amun of Karnak. In the shadow of Jebel Barkal, a religious centre called Karnak was erected and the settlement that followed in the area became known as Napata.

In 1075 BC, theHigh Priest of AmunatThebes,capital of Egypt, became powerful enough to limit the power of PharaohSmendesof the post-RamessideTwenty-first DynastyoverUpper Egypt.This was the beginning of theThird Intermediate Period(1075–664 BC). The fragmentation of power in Egypt allowed the Kushites to regain autonomy as they became increasingly estranged from Theban clergy. They founded theKingdom of Kush,which was centered at Napata. A stela erected in Napata in the eighth century presents a Kushite king (whose title has been hammered out) as the only ruler legitimated by the god Amun, appointing the kinglets and Libyan chiefs who shared Egypt at that time and derived their legitimacy from the generals' discretion.^[8]

Napatan period[edit]

In 750 BC, Napata was a developed city, while Egypt was still suffering political instability.Kashta,whose name is Egyptian for "the Kushite", profited from it, and attacked Upper Egypt. His policy was pursued by his successorsPiye,andShabaka(721–707 BC), who eventually brought the whole Nile Valley under Kushitic control in the second year of his reign. Overall, the Kushite kings ruled Upper Egypt for approximately one century and the whole of Egypt for approximately 57 years, from 721 to 664 BC. They constitute theTwenty-fifth DynastyinManetho'sAegyptiaca.Furthermore, these Kushite kings were supported by Amun clergy at Thebes and believed their power was claimed through Amun of Jebel Barkal and Amun of Karnak.^[2]They are depicted in art as having worn a particular type of skull-cap crown reminiscent of the shape of Jebel Barkal, which was intended to show how they derived their power from that “Pure Mountain”.^[5]

The reunited Egyptian empire under the 25th dynasty was as large as it had been since the New Kingdom and ushered in a renaissance.^[9]Religion, arts, and architecture were restored to their Old, Middle, and New Kingdom forms. Pharaohs, such asTaharqa,built or restored temples and monuments throughout the Nile, including atMemphis,Karnak,Kawa,Jebel Barkal, and elsewhere.^[10]

Assyrian invasion and end of the Twenty-fifth dynasty[edit]

Pharaoh Taharqa's reign and that of his eventual successor, his cousinTantamani,were filled with constant conflict with theNeo-Assyrian Empire.Around 670 BC, emperorEsarhaddon(681–669 BC) conquered Lower Egypt, but allowed local kingdoms there to exist in order to enlist them as his allies against the Kushite rulers ofUpper Egypt,who had been accepted with reluctance.

When KingAshurbanipalsucceededEsarhaddon,the Kushite kingTaharqaconvinced some rulers of Lower Egypt to break with Assyrians. However, Assurbanipal overpowered the coalition. He appointedNecho I,ruler of Memphis andSaïs.Necho was the first king of theTwenty-sixth Dynasty(664–525 BC) of Egypt, which is also known as the "Saïte Dynasty".

In 664 BC, the Assyrians struck the final blow, sacking Thebes and Memphis. The same year, Taharqa died. The new Kushite king, Tantamani (664–653 BC), killed Necho I that same year when he tried to invade Lower Egypt. However, Tantamani was unable to defeat the Assyrians, who backed Necho's son,Psamtik I.Tantamani eventually abandoned his attempt to conquer Lower Egypt and retreated to Napata. However, his authority over Upper Egypt was acknowledged until 656 BC, when Psamtik I dispatched a naval fleet to Upper Egypt and succeeded in placing all of Egypt under his control.

The 25th dynasty ended with its rulers retreating to Napata. It was there (atEl-KurruandNuri) that all 25th dynasty pharaohs are buried under the first pyramids that the Nile valley had seen since theMiddle Kingdom.^[11]^[12]^[13]

The Napatan dynasty continued to rule the Kushite state, which flourished in Napata andMeroëuntil at least the second century AD.

Late Napatan kingdom[edit]

Napata remained the centre of theKingdom of Kushfor another two generations, from the 650s to 590 BC. Its economy was essentially based on gold, with 26th dynasty Egypt an important economic ally.

Napatan architecture,paintings, writing script, and other artistic and cultural forms were in Kush style. Egyptian burial customs were practised, including the resurrection of pyramid building. Also, severalancient Egyptian deitieswere worshipped. The most important god wasAmun,a Theban deity. TheTemple of Amunand theTemple of Mutwere the most important ones at Napata, located at the foot ofJebel Barkal.^[14]

After the Achaemenid conquest of Egypt, Napata lost its economic influence. The Napatan region itself was desiccating, leading to less cattle and agriculture. An Achaemenid raid had seriously affected Napata in 591 BC. Finally, Napata was losing its role of economic capital to Meroë. Theisland of Meroë,the peninsula formed by the Nile and theAtbarah River,was an area rich in iron, which was becoming an essential source of wealth.Meroeeventually became the capital of the Kingdom of Kush, leading to the abandonment of Napata.

In 23 BC, theGovernor of Roman Egypt Gaius Petroniusinvaded Kush with 10,000 men after an initial attack by the queen of Meroë, razing Napata to the ground. In theRes Gestae Divi Augusti( "Deeds of the Divine Augustus" ),Augustusclaims that "a penetration was made as far as the town of Napata, which is next to Meroe.^[15]

After the Roman sack, Napata was restored by KingNatakamani,who renovated the temple of Amun and constructed a palace. Later, the site was abandoned, its buildings plundered and destroyed. There is circumstantial evidence that this may have been the result of religious changes.^[16]

Archaeology of the site[edit]

The American archaeologists George A. Reisner discovered a total of ten complete (or nearly complete) statues in two caches. These statues depictedTaharqaand several of his successors, includingTanwetamani,Senkamanisken,Anlamani,andAspelta.This discovery was partially accidental, as Reisner had only happened upon the first cache while searching for a prospective dump site. Weeks later, the second cache was found within the nearby Amun temple with several fragments matching the statues in the first cache. Along with the statue fragments, ash was found in the second cache which suggested to Reisner that the sculptures had been purposefully destroyed. Due to the close proximity, the statues from the caches are thought to have once been displayed in the Amun temple.^[17]

The earliest known standing structure at Jebel Barkal is the Enthronement Pavilion, which has been dated to the reign ofThutmose IV.This structure is adjacent to the Jebel Barkal cliff, which has resulted in several rock falls damaging the construction at various points in the third century BC and first century AD. The 18th Dynasty use for this structure is uncertain, though it is known to have functioned as a royal enthronement pavilion during the third century BC.^[18]

Cultural references[edit]

Napata was mentioned inGiuseppe Verdi's operaAida(1871) in Act III, when Amonasro uses Aida to learn where Rhadames will lead his army.

Napata is the setting for a large portion of the novel,The Last Camel Died At Noonby Egyptologist,Barbara Mertzunder the nom de plume of Elizabeth Peters.

References[edit]

^^a ^bGauthier, Henri (1926).Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques.Vol. 3. p.86-87.
^^a ^b"Napata" in the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language(2020).
^Strabo, Geography, §17.1.54
^Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, §N469.1
^^a ^b ^cKendall, Timothy (2016).A Visitor's Guide to The Jebel Barkal Temples.Khartoum. p. 7.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Timothy Kendall (2001), "Napata", inDonald B. Redford,The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt,Oxford University Press.
^Richard A. Lobban,"Napata",Historical Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Nubia(Scarecrow, 2004), pp. 274–276.
^"Le faiseur de rois et de chefs libyens, sur la stèle de Napata au Musée de Khartoum, SNM 1851".
^Diop, Cheikh Anta (1974).The African Origin of Civilization.Chicago, Illinois: Lawrence Hill Books. pp.219–221.ISBN 1-55652-072-7.
^Bonnet, Charles (2006).The Nubian Pharaohs.New York: The American University in Cairo Press. pp. 142–154.ISBN 978-977-416-010-3.
^Mokhtar, G. (1990).General History of Africa.California, USA: University of California Press. pp. 161–163.ISBN 0-520-06697-9.
^Emberling, Geoff (2011).Nubia: Ancient Kingdoms of Africa.New York: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. pp. 9–11.ISBN 978-0-615-48102-9.
^Silverman, David (1997).Ancient Egypt.New York: Oxford University Press. pp.36–37.ISBN 0-19-521270-3.
^World Studies The Ancient World Chapter 3 Section 5 Pages 100, 101 and 102
^Augustus, "The Deeds of the Divine Augustus,"Exploring the European Past: Texts & Images,Second Edition, ed. Timothy E. Gregory (Mason: Thomson, 2008), 119.
^Alessandro Roccati (2003), "Napata, the Destroyed City: A Method for Plundering", in M. Liverani, ed.,Arid Lands in Roman Times: Papers from the International Conference (Rome, July 9th–10th, 2001)(Florence: All'insegna del Giglio), pp. 59–64.
^Kendall, Timothy (2016).A Visitor's Guide to The Jebel Barkal Temples.pp. 67–75.
^Kendall, Timothy (2016).A Visitor's Guide to The Jebel Barkal Temples.pp. 90–93.

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