Abstract
D.Litt. et Phil.
The aim of the present thesis has been to examine the course of Christianity and civilization in the medieval kingdoms of Nubia, in relation to the developments in the Byzantine Empire during the same period; that is, to look into the direct and indirect influences exerted by Byzantium on Nubia, at both political and cultural level. The study departs from the observation that there is a significantly close parallelism between the Nubian and the Byzantine history. More specifically, following the 7th century Arabic expansion, the Christian statal entities of Nubia and the Byzantium seem to run a parallel course, with rather similar fluctuations. Thus, there is a time when, initially, both Byzantium and Nubia – to a varying degree and in different ways – rally their forces against the Arabic threat. This is followed by a period of prosperity and growth, leading up to the 11th century and, finally, from the 12th century onwards, starts a gradual decadence that reaches its breaking point with the overthrow of both the Byzantine Empire and the remaining Christian statal formations of Nubia by the Ottomans. By way of conclusion then, we will summarise the most important observations and assumptions the present research has led to.
Firstly, throughout the course of this study, the main goal has been to examine in juxtaposition and to correlate the developments in Nubia and Byzantium, through their relations with the Islamic world and its activity in the Mediterranean, and to ascertain whether there are substantial and considerable interrelations. At what time, to what extent and in what way did the Byzantine-Islamic relations affect the course of the Medieval Christian Kingdoms of Nubia? While various hypotheses have been formulated regarding the interrelation between Byzantium and Nubia, the issue has not as yet been subjected to a thorough and long-term study. The present dissertation intends to fill in this gap in research, thus contributing to a better understanding of the Nubian history.