Studies on the History of Late Antique and Christian Nubia

by Laurence Kirwan, T. Hägg, D.A. Welsby

Overview

Gathered together here are the fruits of 60 years of research by the late Sir Laurence Kirwan into the history and archaeology of the mid 1st millennium AD in the Middle Nile Valley, papers previously scattered through a wide range of publications. Kirwan's fieldwork in the region, undertaken between 1929 and 1936, kindled a life-long interest in the transition from the pagan Kushite kingdom to the medieval Nubian states of Nobadia, Makuria and Alodia (Alwa) and of their conversion to Christianity in the 6th century AD. The 25 studies, one published here for the first time, were often of seminal importance when they first appeared, the author being exemplary in his use of the written sources to elucidate the archaeological data. As the preface by the editors shows, the views expressed remain fundamental to modern scholarship, offering valuable insights into this still relatively obscure period of transition from the ancient to the medieval world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040245354
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/01/2024
Series:	Variorum Collected Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	302

About the Author

Laurence Kirwan, T Hägg,, D.A. Welsby

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface; Introduction: Post-Meroitic Nubia - a reappraisal; Nubia - an African frontier zone; Rome beyond the southern Egyptian frontier; The international position of Sudan in Roman and medieval times; Greek and Roman expeditions to the Southern Sudan; The decline and fall of Meroe; An Ethiopian-Sudanese frontier zone in ancient history; The ’Christian topography’ and the Kingdom of Axum; A survey of Nubian origins; The problem of the Nubian X-Group; Comments on the origins and history of the Nobatae of Procopius; The early history of the Blemmyes; Tanqasi and the Noba; Aksum, Meroe, and the Ballana civilisation; The X-Group problem; A contemporary account of the conversion of the Sudan to Christianity; Christianity and the Kur’án; Prelude to Nubian Christianity; The nature of Nubian Christianity; Some thoughts on the conversion of Nubia to Christianity; The birth of Christian Nubia: some archaeological problems; Christianity in the Central Sudan: the Byzantine mission and Nubian Alwa; Notes on the topography of the Christian Nubian kingdoms; The emergence of the United Kingdom of Nubia; Studies in the later history of Nubia; Indexes.

Editorial Reviews

As a young field archaeologist, Kirwan (1907-99) worked in Nubia from 1929-39, then went on to lead expeditions to Sudan, and become the Director and Secretary of the British Royal Geographical Society and editor of its journal. The facsimiles of 24 articles published between 1934 and 1994 focus on the history of Nubia itself and its relations with immediate neighbors, and so excludes his studies of southern Arabia and the Red Sea region and more wide ranging geographical studies. An article he wrote in 1998 is presented as an introduction. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

’In addition to rescuing the researcher seeking help from Sir Laurence's fine scholarship, succinct style, and keen mind from some bibliographical frustration, the editors have provided useful indexes that link all of the papers together. All of these features make this volume a valuable instrument for those interested in the events of the first millennium A.D. in Nubia and the Red Sea region.’ Journal of Near Eastern Studies

From the Publisher