Kingdom of Meroë
The Kingdom of Meroë is in central Libynos, south of Khemit. To its east is the Kingdom of Aethiope, where its border is the western edge of the Hills of Strabo. To the west are the Khael Hills, and beyond that the lands of Qesh. Meroë’s northern border is the south bank of the Setesh and Stygian Rivers. To the south, it claims the territory as far as Lake Targania in the Central Uplands, the source of the Opal River. The Opal runs through the midst of Meroë’s territory, past the city of Kur and the capital Meroë and thence to Khiertuom, where the Opal and Lapis join to form the Stygian River.
The northern part of the country is generally dry, similar to southern Khemit, but the central part is lightly wooded. In the south are the Central Uplands and vast grasslands that stretch hundreds of miles to the west and south.
The Khael Hills on the western edge of Meroë are rich with iron and gold and are therefore sometimes disputed between Meroë and Qesh. The people of Qesh are fierce but undisciplined, whereas Meroë has an excellent, well-trained army that has been able to defend the hill border now for more than 300 years. The kingdom possesses a strong and sophisticated iron industry that supplies iron and limited amounts of steel for most of the Central Kingdoms.
Nearly all the people of Meroë worship the pantheon of deities from Khemit, though a few still pay homage to the old gods of the area. For generations, the rulers (and sometimes other nobles) have been buried in pyramids similar to the rulers of Khemit, although the style of pyramids has changed over the centuries. The oldest style is the step pyramid, which was used much longer in Meroë than in Khemit. Eventually, the slant-sided pyramid was adopted but with a flat top, similar to the top of a step pyramid. In the past 300 years, the fashion has been to use a pyramid with a pointed top, but with a base much smaller than is usual in Khemit. This results in a steep-sided pyramid that appears tall for its width. Since the kings and queens of Meroë have seen no need for the wide spaces required by most pyramids in Khemit, all these types of pyramids can be seen in relatively close proximity in the royal burial areas a few miles outside of Meroë. The burial site of the qores (kings) is northeast of the city, while that of the kandakes (queens) is to the southeast.
Region
Meroë, Kingdom of
Parent Organization
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