Kerma: The Mysterious Civilization of the Nile

When mentioning the Nile River, many people immediately think of ancient Egypt, but there is also another ancient and mysterious civilization here, that is Kerma.

When asked which is the most famous ancient civilization in African history, most people would quickly answer Egypt. But in fact, it would be a mistake to think of ancient Egyptian civilization as a long, unbroken line of Pharaohs who ruled the banks of the Nile for millennia.

Today, we know that there were three periods in which Egypt could truly be considered a unified kingdom , called the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. Between these periods were centuries of infighting and chaos known as the Intermediate Period.

Even during the three unified periods of ancient Egypt, the Egyptians did not have complete control over the Nile. Especially during the Middle Kingdom, they faced significant competition from a southern neighbor, a civilization that had outlived the line of pharaohs: Kerma.

The Kerma civilization was located in present-day Sudan.

Named after their capital city, the Kerma civilization, located in present-day Sudan , arose about 5,500 years ago . In fact, Kerma is now one of the largest archaeological sites in ancient Nubia.

There has been extensive excavation and research around the area, leading to the discovery of numerous tombs and residential areas of the main city. More recent discoveries of other Kerma settlements suggest that at its height, the civilization was extremely developed and at least as large as ancient Egypt.

The Kerma civilization once controlled over 200 miles (322km) of the upper Nile. Their capital city had a huge temple at its center, and they were able to produce artifacts that rivaled anything produced in Egypt at the time.

Origin of Kerma

Before the rise of Kerma, the area was ruled by the Naqada kingdom . The Naqada kings are considered to be the predecessors of the first Pharaohs of Egypt , who harbored ambitions to conquer Nubia and rule the entire territory along the length of the Nile.

In this they were largely successful, establishing the Old Kingdom of Egypt and controlling much of the Nile until about 2,400 BC. But with the collapse of the Old Kingdom, control over the southern part of the Nile was weakened and then lost.

Much of the record relating to the periods between the great Egyptian kingdoms is fragmentary, but it seems that Kerma moved into the abandoned areas south of the Nile. By the time Egypt had settled down again - by 2,000 BC - Kerma had become a very powerful kingdom.

The city of Kerma was the first urban center in southern Egypt.

As a result, the Pharaohs of the newly unified Egypt had to accept the existence of Kerma and regard it as an equal state. Trade links between the two states were also established accordingly. Jewelry and blue ceramics, in particular, were also exported from Kerma along the length of the Nile.

But the memory of their lost lands was never forgotten by the Egyptians, and the Pharaohs of Egypt regarded the lands to the south as occupied territory and rightfully theirs.

From archaeological data, we also know that clashes on the Egyptian-Kerma border were frequent, but both sides avoided serious battles, each feeling afraid of the other's power. Neither the Kermans nor the Egyptians could make significant inroads into each other's territory, because the relative strength of the two sides was quite similar.

Kerma and the Hyksos

Although Kerma was a country with developed trade routes and good access to the resources of sub-Saharan Africa, for them the threat of a belligerent Egypt was always present to the north.

The Middle Kingdom of Egypt was also the shortest-lived of Egypt's three golden ages, ending around 1,800 BC. In the decades and centuries that followed, Egypt was weakened by dynastic infighting, and Kerma sought to take advantage of this.

The Kerma civilization once controlled more than 200 miles (322km) of the upper Nile River.

To maximize their advantage, in 1,650 BC the Kerma people proposed an alliance with the Hyksos to besiege and attack Egypt.

As a result, they were victorious and opened the first period of Egypt being ruled by "foreign" Pharaohs. While the Hyksos ruled the Nile Delta and the northern part of Egypt, the Kerma kingdom took all of the south Nile for itself.

At this time, the power of the old Egyptian royals was pushed down to a small territory around their former capital Thebes. The people of Upper Egypt accepted Kerma control and opened a "golden" era for the Kerma kingdom.

Bronze and bone dagger from the golden age of Kerma.

The Three Stages of the Kingdom of Kerma

The Kingdom of Kerma can be divided into three phases, known as Early Kerma, Middle Kerma, and Classic Kerma . Early Kerma is the period from about 2,500 BC to 2,050 BC, however very little is known about this period.

Middle Kerma was from about 2,050 BC to 1,750 BC, during which time Kerma was the major rival of southern Egypt. And Classic Kerma, considered the golden age of the Kerma kingdom - after their conquest of Egypt by the Hyksos, lasted from about 1,750 BC to 1,500 BC.

During this final period of the Kerma Dynasty, the rulers succeeded in controlling the fortresses of Egypt and the gold mines south of the Nile. The kingdom then continued to expand into territory until 1,500 BC, when they met Pharaoh Thutmose I.

Classical Kerma, considered the golden age of the Kerma kingdom.

Thutmose was the third Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt, the first dynasty of Egypt's last and greatest unified kingdom: the New Kingdom.

Pharaoh Thutmose I led an army south and entered the Kerma territory, destroying and conquering their kingdom. Egypt then recovered its lost lands and the Kerma, Egypt's rivals for centuries, perished as a result.

But for the next 200 years, the Egyptians still faced rebellions from the remnants of the Kerma kingdom, who would not allow their culture to be annexed by Egypt.

But the successors of the remnants of the Kerma kingdom remained in the area known as Kush . And centuries later, they won and ruled Egypt as the Pharaohs of the 25th dynasty.