A documentary on the Nubian Archers - Longbowmen of Africa. Claim your SPECIAL OFFER for MagellanTV here: try.magellantv.com/invicta. Start your free trial TODAY so you can watch "The Story of Egypy" about the history of the Nile civilizations, and the rest of MagellanTV’s documentary collection: www.magellantv.com/series/the...
In this Units of History documentary we explore the story of the Nubian Archers - Longbowmen of Africa. The episode begins with an introduction to the lands of the Nile, its geography, and the entwined development of both Egypt and Nubia. In this context it appears that the Nubian Archers existed from the very start as skilled hunters in southern civilization. Over time they would develop such a reputation that the ancient Egyptians would call the area of ancient Nubia, Tah-Seti, the Land of the Bow.
Both the Egyptian Army and the Nubian Army would clash for centuries along the Nile. Such was the threat from Nubia that the Pharaohs began to fortify the region of the first cataract with a series of Egyptian Fortifications like the Buhen Fortress. Yet even still the Nubian Archers could not be stopped and their armies are said to have regularly managed to storm these bastions. The Egyptians recognized the military prowess of the Nubian Archers and quickly hired them as mercenaries in their own armies. This was a trend that would continue with later Empires that interacted with the Lands of Nubia.
We talk specifically about what the equipment of these Nubian archers, how they were trained, how they were organized, and how they fought in battle. Finally the documentary concludes with an overview of their service history that would span hundreds of years through the Kingdom of Kerma, the Kingdom of Napata, and the Kingdom of Meroe. Stay tuned for more Units of History episodes and let us know what units you would like to see covered next!
I'm excited to also cover more of the history of Nubia and African history in general! For now you can check out our previous episodes on Ancient Egypt and the Roman Invasion of Nubia.
Sources and Suggested Reading:
“The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization” by László Török
“Aksum and Nubia: Warfare, Commerce, and Political Fictions in Ancient Northeast Africa” by George Hatke
“Ancient Nubia” by Shinnie
“Kerma Kushites." by Hansberry. W., & Johnson, E.
“The Histories” by Herodotus
“Ancient Egyptian Bows and Arrows and their Relevance for African Prehistory” by J. D. Clark
“Wrestling in Ancient Nubia” by Scott T. Carroll
Credits:
Research = Invicta
Writing = Invicta
Narration = Guy Michaels
Artwork = Penta Limited
#History
#Africa
#Documentary