796
edits
Changes
no edit summary
===Meroe, the Ptolemies, and the Romans===
[[File: Temple_relief_of_king_Arqamani_from_Dakka.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Relief from Aswan of the Meroitic King Arkamani (reigned 218-200 BC) Offering to the Gods]]
Meroe truly came to prominence in the ancient world when it began its long relationship with the Greeks and Romans. The Macedonian-Greek rulers of Egypt from the third through most of the first centuries BC, the Ptolemies, were the first to battle with the Nubians of Meroe for control of the Nile. The primary region that the two groups vied for control over was known as the Dodekaschoinos, which was the area between the first and second cataracts of the Nile River. <ref> Welsby, p. 66</ref> The archaeological evidence shows that the Meroitic King Arkamani built an entrance hall to a temple in Aswan that was originally built by the Egyptian-Ptolemaic King Ptolemy I (reigned 221-204 BC). This is interesting because the two kings were contemporaries and it is highly unlikely that one ruler would allow another to build at such an important site, especially when both were vying for control of the region. What is most likely is that the temple demonstrates control of the region alternated between the Nubians and Ptolemies. <ref> Welsby, pgs. 66-67</ref>
The stalemate between the two powers continued until Ptolemy VI (ruled 180-145 BC) attempted to extend Egyptian control farther south, erasing the name of Arkamani from several monuments in the process, but he was ultimately unsuccessful in holding his gains. <ref> Welsby, p. 67</ref> The final military push against the Nubians would be led by the Roman legions.
