6 – The Golden Age (300 BC – 23 BC?)
By the beginning of the third century BC, it was apparent that the Kushite kings were styling themselves as Pharaohs even though they didn’t have any control over Egypt. While they used hieroglyphics at an earlier stage, the Kushites moved on to a different form of written communication. It is called the Meroitic language and has yet to be fully understood although the actual script has been deciphered.
At this stage, the Kushite’s authority probably extended to approximately 1,500 kilometers from the Egyptian frontier in the north to the south; they probably had control over certain sections in the east and west as well. There is a suggestion that the Kushites were so powerful that even Alexander the Great did not attack them in the fourth century BC. Apparently, he decided not to launch an invasion after seeing the size of the army at Meroe.
Not a great deal is known about the Kushites in the third, second and early first centuries BC. We know that there was a Queen Shanakdakhete from around 170 – 160 BC and King Taniydamani who reigned towards the end of the second century BC. Otherwise, there is a high level of uncertainty about the Kingdom of Kush at this point although it appears as if it was absolutely thriving.
As we reach the end of the first century BC, it seems as if the Kushite civilization at Meroe was practically at its peak as seen by the remains of buildings created during the era. The palace at Ouad ben Naga was probably built during the reign of Queen Amanishakheto, and her tomb is still visible at Meroe’s Northern Cemetery. At the end of the first century BC, Rome had its first emperor, Augustus, and he was keen to expand his empire. As a result, it was inevitable that the Romans would eventually meet the Kushites.