The medieval kingdoms of Nubia - Derek A. Welsby

"The Mediaeval Kingdoms of Nubia" is offers a study of the rise and fall of the Nubian kingdoms on the middle Nile. Nubia had a rich pagan heritage, stretching back thousands of years and heavily influenced by Egyptian theology. During probably the 6th century AD various factors - perhaps more political than religious - led to the adoption of Christianity. Derek Welsby charts this huge cultural transition using not only literary evidence, with its inevitable bias, but also extensive evidence from achaeological finds such as churches, graves and monuments. From the 6th century onwards, the threat from the Arabs was constant, though it was not until the 13th century that the kingdoms became increasingly surrounded and infiltrated by their Muslim neighbours.;As well as discussing the turbulent political and religious history, Derek Welsby devotes much of his study to an examination of Nubian culture and society, and the impact of Christianity on every aspect of Nubian life. He examines in detail Nubian architecture, one of the most enduring legacies of the mediaeval kingdoms; Nubian art, literature and language; and finally, the economy and the importance of agriculture and trade. Broad-ranging and meticulously researched, "The Mediaeval Kingdoms of Nubia" is a fully comprehensive study of this intriguing subject.