Romans & Christians

By the 8th century BC, Nubia's power had grown and a revolt freed the Land of Cush from Egyptian dominance. A succession of rulers followed and various independent kingdoms were established.

In 23BC, Nubia was invaded by the Romans, under Gaius Petronius and a large part of the country was annexed to form the Roman province of Dodecashoenus.

In AD350, an invasion by the Christian Axumite Kingdom of Ethiopia resulted in the conversion of most of the population to Christianity, and by the 6th century AD three separate Christian kingdoms were well established.

The most powerful of these was Mqurra, which had its capital at Dongola, and which lasted until the early 14th century AD, when it was destroyed by an invasion of Egyptian Mamelukes.