The Fall of Meroe

The Fall of Meroe
During the 200s B.C., Greek rulers in Egypt ordered ports built on the Red Sea. Traders began to use sea routes rather than the overland routes that passed through the once thriving city of Meroe. No longer a center of trade, Meroe lost much of its power, wealth, and importance.

Also, soldiers from the African kingdom of Axum began making raids on Kushite towns. By about A.D. 350 the people of Axum had defeated the Kushites. The king of Axum wrote,

I burned their towns, both those built of bricks and those built of reeds.

By the end of the fourth century A.D., the Kushite culture had disappeared.
Between A.D. 500 and A.D. 600, missionaries from Egypt and southeastern Europe brought Christianity to the Nubians. Christianity remained the main religion of the region until the 1300s. During this time, the religion of Islam was introduced.

What caused Meroe to lose much of its power, wealth, and importance?

Posted in: Kush History