Synopsis
The article talks about a place called Nubia. In that region, there was a man named Piye who wanted to save Egypt in the 730 B.C. Nubia was a region that was located in southern Egypt and extended to northern Sudan, near the gates of Black Africa. That was the home to the earliest culture of the black people in Africa. The people of Egypt had named the main Nubian Kingdom as Kush. It was found in the third cataract of river Nile. Therefore, black pharaohs were the kings. When Piye died, he was buried in a pyramid. This was a great honor. It is claimed in the article that the first rulers of Egypt were black. This seems unbelievable, but the author tries to provide some evidence to drive his point home.
Rise of Piye
In the year 730 B.C, a man who was known by the name Piye decided to invade Egypt, which was living under confusion of slavery they had not realized. He thought this was the best way to save Egypt. Piye had ruled over his own Kingdom in Nubia, in the present day Sudan, however, he also claimed that he was the true leader of Egypt. Piye decided to wage a strong campaign to popularize and gain influence over the land of Egypt. He believed that he could wage a holy war in an acceptable manner. He asked his soldiers to undergo purification before going for war. He dressed them in linen clothes and sprinkled them with water from the temple. At that time, Piye feasted on sacrifices of Amun.
Emergence of Black Pharaohs and Racism
It was an intensive campaign that ensured that by the end of the initial year, all leaders in Egypt had given up. Piye managed to seek great honor that made him the most honored leader in the region. When he died, at the end of his 35 years old rule, he was buried in pyramids made in a unique Egyptian style, as a sign of honoring a great pharaoh. Piye was the first of the Black Pharaohs; there was a list of Nubian Kings who won the rule of Egypt for about 25 years, reuniting a Kingdom that was long disintegrated. Today, Sudan’s pyramids are at peace; a cool place away from the wars in Sudan. Draper says that the ancient world did not have racism (“Black Pharaohs”). Piye’s skin was dark, but that would not bother anyone. Not until the Europeans came to colonize Africa, that skin became an important issue while dealing with persons. It exhaustively analyses the black revolution and civilization of the African Kingdoms.
What I have learnt
Whenever people talk about Africa, diseases, wars and tribes are usually the main points of discussion. However, the ancient Egyptians are the opposite of this notion. They were improved Kingdoms that proved to the world that Africans are not just tribes with problems, but people of reasonable minds. I have also learnt that there are major civilizations in the world that emanated from Africa. Egyptians had stable economic systems and technology, which were also borrowed by the Europeans colonizers. The article also teaches us that before the colonization period, racism was unheard. It was only after the Europeans found their way into Africa that racism became stronger.
Strengths
The article has been presented in an educative manner. I did not for instance know much about the Blacks ancient Kingdoms and their civilizations and developments. The writer has fully covered the idea of the black civilization in a manner that will help anyone understand how the Black people ruled themselves in the ancient times plus the state of their economic and social structures. This essay also shows the how the Egyptians had very strong cultures and economic systems. They employed the use of high technology which was a key contributor to their civilization.
Weaknesses
The author claims that the first people in Egypt were black people; he does not however, clearly support the idea that the first people in Egypt were black people. He uses information from the National Geographic magazine, but does not present it in a proper manner. This is a considerably Afro- centric view that may be aimed at popularizing the Black American people. There is no primary source present in the world to show that the first people to develop, and be civilized were Blacks, the author does not also provide enough back up evidence to prove that the first leaders in the world were Africans, since his essay only covers the African setting.
Conclusion
The Kushite Kingdom, which was later named Meroe, was in existence for more than 1100 years is not a fact to believe. This number of years is very long and unrealistic that no ancient Kingdom has ever maintained its glory for such a long period of time. Add to that the political and economic stability of the Kush during that period. The writer of this article has overwhelming magnified the state of the Kush to make it appear as a very superior breed of people that existed in the ancient times.
Works Cited
Draper, Robert. “Black Pharaohs.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society. 2008.