ANCIENT NUBIA AND MEROE- NOTES FROM THE WRITINGS OF

HISTORIANS OF THE PAST by Neeta Raina

The Britannica Encyclopedia states that Nubia, one of

the earliest civilizations of ancient North-eastern
Africa, flourished along the Nile river in regions that
are today identified as northern Sudan and southern
Egypt.
Nubia is traditionally divided into two regions. The
southern portion known as Upper Nubia was
called Cush by the Egyptians and Ethiopia by the
ancient Greeks. Lower Nubia was the northern part of
the region and was called Wawat.
Biblical sources trace the earliest ancestry of the
Nubians to Noah and his son Ham, who in turn was
the father of the greatest ever Nubian ruler Cush
who's capital city was Kerma. The existence of Cush's
reign is tentatively estimated at around 3000 BC.
The Nubian names Ham and Cush have lead some to
put forth the view that their legend might have its
source in the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana. The
Ramayana is the story of the great ancient Indian GodKing, Sri Ram, who had a son by the name Kush.
The Ramayana traces the lineage of Sri Ram to Manu,
the first man on earth, much like how the Nubian texts
trace the lineage of Ham to Noah, whom they regarded

as the first man. Biblical sources say that the name of

the father of 'Cush' was 'Ham'. It is highly likely that
these sources are inadvertently referring to Manu,
Lord Rama and Kush.
In the compilation 'Memoirs Relating to European &
Asiatic Turkey', 1820, edited by the Robert Walpople,
the author states, "It is probable, that a more minute
observation of the remains of sacred buildings in
Nubia would throw light on the hypothesis of Sir
William Jones, that Ethiopia and Hindustan were
peopled or colonized by the same extraordinary race'.
Characters have been found in Ethiopia which have an
astonishing resemblance to those of ancient Sanscrit,
and particularly to the inscriptions in the caves of
Canara, in India". The author is referring to the
Kanheri caves of Maharashtra here.
Sri Ram had two sons, Kush and Lava. In Sanskrit,
'Kush' is translated as 'grass'. It is said that 'Kush'
was 'created' by Rishi Valmiki (the author of
Ramayana) from 'grass'. In ancient Indian texts, Africa
was referred to as 'Kusha-dwipa', 'the island
of grasslands'. Uncannily, the Nubian king, Cush had a
grandson by the name 'Ramaah'.
The Name 'Nubia' came into use in the Roman period.
The origin of the name Nubia is obscure. Some have
linked it to nwb, the ancient Egyptian word for gold.
However, for much of antiquity, the region south of the

1st cataract of the Nile was called 'Kush.' The

Kushites developed powerful kingdoms. The first was
centered at Kerma (20001650 BC). The later kingdom
had capitals at Napata (800270 BC) and Meroe (270
BC370 AD).
Kerma was the capital city of the Sudanese Kingdom
of Cush (3000-1785 BC). The name 'Kerma' is probably
a distortion of the Sanskrit 'Karma' meaning 'action.
Another Sanskritic name is Meroe which is close
cognate of 'Meroe is 'Meru' which translates as
'Divine Mountain' from Sanskrit. The link between
Meroe and Meru is not that far-fetched considering
that Tanzania too has a mountain by the name of Mt.
Meru which is the second highest peak after Mt.
Kiliminjaro.
Jean-Antoine Dubois, (1765 1848), a French Catholic
missionary in India, and member of the 'Missions
Etrangres de Paris', who authored the book, 'Hindu
Manners, Customs and Ceremonies', a valuable work
of Indology stated that in the Indian tradition the belief
is that the route of civilization is from north to south
and that civilization descended from Mt. Meru and Mt.
Mandara situated in the remotest quarter of the north.
Edward Pococke states in 'India in Greece' that the
route of civilization was from north to south and
hence "we must bid farewell to the idea that this
(India) country received the grains of religion from the

continent of Africa; the only remaining supposition is

that Meroe was indebted for its civilisation to
India."- the argument being that had civilization
moved from south to north, ancient Hindu authors
would have stated the name of the sea and sea-route
from were the civilization travelled from the south
rather than Mt. Meru and Mandara situated in the
north.

A stylised elephant, much like the temples of India,

at the Meroe ruins in Mussawarat, Sudan.

The four-armed, three faced lion-headed god Apedemek at Meroite ruins in

Sudan
has a close resemblance to Hindu God Narsimha

Lucius Flavius Philostratus (170-250-AD), a Greek

sophist of the Roman imperial period states in his
works that the Ethiopians were originally an Indian
race, compelled to leave India from the impunity
contracted by slaying a monarch to whom they owed
allegiance.
Julius Africanus Thallus, was an early historian who
wrote a three-volume history of the Mediterranean
world from before the Trojan War to the 167th
Olympiad, c. 112-109 BC. Most of his work, like the
vast majority of ancient literature, has been lost,

although some of his writings were quoted by later

authors. Thallus, often cited for details on Syrian and
Assyrian history stated in his works that "the
Ethiopians, emigrated from the river Indus and settled
in the vicinity of Egypt."
'Uttara Ramayana' (the Indian text that traces the story
of Luva and Kush) mentions that Kush had a great
great grandson by the name' Nabha'. In Sanskrit ,
NAbha means 'centre', and, Nabha means 'sky'. Many
scholars from India have argued that Lord Rama's
sons, Kusha expanded his empire westward. Though
his capital city was 'Ayodhya', Kush also made a city
by the name 'Kushapur'.
What is interesting is that there is yet another Kush in
the lineage of the Ikshvaku's, the dynasty to which
Lord Rama belonged. And he precedes the birth of
Lord Rama. In fact, the Valmiki Ramayana says that
Lord Brahma, the creator of the world had a son by
the name 'Kusha' - the one with the 'Highest Soul'.
Kusha had four sons, who he encouraged to rule and
govern piously. Kusha's four sons developed four
cities including one that was named Kusha Nabha.
Up north from Sudan in Egypt lies the ancient
archaeological site by the name 'Nabta Playa'. Nabta
Playa is an ancient stone observatory aligned to the
Sun and constellation Orion. The entire sky can be
mapped from Nabta Playa, and therefore the link with
Sanskrit word 'Nabha' which is Sanskrit for 'sky' is

ascertained.
Suggested Links:
1. 'None but India' by Jagat Motwani
2. About Nubia
3. Ancient Kingdoms in Land of War
4. Ancient Sudan : Nubia
5. Dravadin, Mande and Elamite by Clyde Winters
6. Nubia and Nubians
7 Son of Ham: Cush
8. Aksum & Nubia Commerce, Warfare and Political Fictions by George Hatke
9. The Athenaeum - Journal of Literature Science, and the Fine Arts Issue 271-321, Jan-Dec 1833