5 – The Move to Meroe (591 BC – 300 BC)
The Kushites lost any semblance of control over Upper Egypt when Psamtik I (664 – 610 BC) captured Thebes once and for all and unified the whole of the country in 656 BC. The Nubians established a new kingdom at Napata which lasted until 591 BC when Psamtik II ordered the invasion of the land of Kush. With the aid of Greek and Carian mercenaries, the Egyptians were able to capture Napata and force the Kush to flee once more.
At this stage, the Kushites were keen to keep as much distance between themselves and the Egyptians which is one of the reasons why they chose Meroe as the new capital. Unlike Napata, the region around the new capital had plenty of woodlands which provided the fuel the Kushites needed for iron working. Also, it was now possible to transport goods from Meroe to the Red Sea Coast; this meant they were no longer reliant on the Nile for outside trade.
In 525 BC, the Persians, under Cambyses, attempted to invade the Kush Kingdom but had to withdraw after suffering heavy losses when crossing the Batn el-Hagar. Nonetheless, it appears as if the Persians still viewed the Kushites as allies going forward. There were Kushites in the armies of Darius and Xerxes and written accounts of gifts of gold and elephant tusks getting sent to Persepolis.
It seems likely that the kingdom flourished during this timeframe, but despite moving their capital, the Kushites continued to bury their priests at Napata until around 300 BC. There is a theory that the move was an example of power being transferred away from the priests. At one time, the priests were so powerful that they could decide if a monarch should die. Diodorus Siculus claimed that King Ergamenes had the priests slaughtered at this time after he defied them.