c. 300 BCE–350 CE / Sub-Saharan Africa
Meroe: A Kingdom on the Upper Nile
Meroe was an important center of the Kingdom of Kush; pyramids, craft production, and remains of water infrastructure testify to connections between inland Africa and the Mediterranean.
The story
From the third century BCE, Meroe became the principal burial place of Kush's royal family. The royal city, temples, water-storage facilities, and remains of ironworking reveal distinctive political and technological traditions on the upper Nile. The region adopted forms from Egypt and the Mediterranean world while retaining local deities and cultural creativity. Kush's territory and centers changed several times, so areas of influence from different centuries cannot be superimposed into a single imperial map. The range used here, approximately 300 BCE–350 CE, follows common approximate dates for the Meroitic phase of the kingdom and does not treat 350 as the exact date of a particular event.
Elsewhere in the world
Meroe participated in exchange with North Africa and the Mediterranean through the Nile corridor, and later also came into contact with Roman-controlled Egypt.
Dates and precision
c. 300 BCE–350 CE Approximate period
The dates describe a process over time; the interactive timeline uses its starting point.
Representative map location
Representative coordinates · 16.938°, 33.748°
Coordinates locate a representative point for the story. They do not mean the event happened only here and do not represent historical borders.
Bibliography
- UNESCO | Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe
- British Museum | Middle East Newsletter, Issue 7: Meroe, c. 300 BCE–350 CE
Sources are listed as bibliography titles, without external links. A reference does not mean every sentence or interpretation has been independently verified.