3rd century BCE – 6th century
Lower Nubia and Upper Egypt
The Blemmyes were a people active around Lower Nubia and Upper Egypt during the late Roman and post-Meroitic centuries. The extract associates them with the ancestors of the Beja and records continuing conflicts with the Nobatae into the sixth century. Their chiefs also appear in Greek letters discovered in Egypt, evidence of political penetration into Upper Egypt.
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The Story
The Blemmyes are presented as one of two groups used by scholars to explain the transformation of Lower Nubia after the Meroitic period. Their role has been debated alongside that of the Nobatae, particularly in relation to the elite burials at Ballana and Qostol and to graves at Qasr Ibrim, Gemai, and Firka. The archaeological record does not by itself resolve which group, if either, controlled these communities.
The extract states that the Blemmyes seem to have been firmly identified as ancestors of the Beja. Their sphere of activity extended beyond Lower Nubia: letters written by Blemmye chiefs in Greek and found in Egypt attest to deep penetration into Upper Egypt. Egyptian secretaries with some knowledge of Greek may have written these letters for chiefs who were themselves illiterate.
Conflict between the Blemmyes and Nobatae continued into the sixth century. A Greek inscription at the temple of Kalabsha records a major defeat of the Blemmyes by Silko, who identified himself as a kinglet of the Nobatae. The inscription’s religious language does not establish that Silko was Christian, since his crown and dress displayed emblems associated with Egyptian gods.
3rd century BCE – 6th century
Lower Nubia and Upper Egypt
The Blemmyes were a people active around Lower Nubia and Upper Egypt during the late Roman and post-Meroitic centuries. The extract associates them with the ancestors of the Beja and records continuing conflicts with the Nobatae into the sixth century. Their chiefs also appear in Greek letters discovered in Egypt, evidence of political penetration into Upper Egypt.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Blemmyes are presented as one of two groups used by scholars to explain the transformation of Lower Nubia after the Meroitic period. Their role has been debated alongside that of the Nobatae, particularly in relation to the elite burials at Ballana and Qostol and to graves at Qasr Ibrim, Gemai, and Firka. The archaeological record does not by itself resolve which group, if either, controlled these communities.
The extract states that the Blemmyes seem to have been firmly identified as ancestors of the Beja. Their sphere of activity extended beyond Lower Nubia: letters written by Blemmye chiefs in Greek and found in Egypt attest to deep penetration into Upper Egypt. Egyptian secretaries with some knowledge of Greek may have written these letters for chiefs who were themselves illiterate.
Conflict between the Blemmyes and Nobatae continued into the sixth century. A Greek inscription at the temple of Kalabsha records a major defeat of the Blemmyes by Silko, who identified himself as a kinglet of the Nobatae. The inscription’s religious language does not establish that Silko was Christian, since his crown and dress displayed emblems associated with Egyptian gods.
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