UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Conclusion
discover that the Egypto-Nubian civilization played a similar role in Africa
to that of the Graeco-Roman civilization in Europe.
Interest in the history of ancient Nubia was resurrected recently when the
Egyptian project of a high dam over Aswan took shape. From the first
moment, it became obvious that the dam would mean the submersion of
sixteen temples, all the chapels, churches, tombs, rock inscriptions and
other historical sites in the area of Nubia, which would be flooded. These
monuments had mostly been left intact by time. At the request of Egypt
and the Sudan, Unesco launched in 1959 an appeal asking all nations,
organizations and men of goodwill to help technically, scientifically and
financially to save the Nubian monuments. At once there began a successful
international campaign which has saved most of the Nubian monuments,
representing centuries of history and holding the keys to early cultures.
Further archaeological excavations around the Kerma site where funeral
rites were identical with those in Ghana, in the region of Dongola and
the south-west oases in particular, would give us a better idea of certain
archaic cultural affinities and perhaps reveal other links in the cultural chain
between the valley of the Nile and the interior of Africa. In any case, it
would give us a clearer idea of the itinerary followed by explorers of the
ancient Empire, such as Harkuf.
Although Ethiopia was influenced at the beginning by various motives, it
established a cultural unit whose central coherence could be identified as
coming from south Arabia. Material sources dating back to the second pre-
Aksumite period indicate that a local culture existed which had assimilated
foreign influences.
The kingdom of Aksum, which lasted from the firstcentury of our era
for about one thousand years, adopted a quite distinct form, different from
that of the pre-Aksumite period. The civilization of Aksum, like that of
ancient Egypt, was the result of a cultural development, whose roots went
back to prehistory. It was an African civilization, which was produced by its
people, although some Meroitic influence can be traced in the pottery of the
second pre-Aksumite period.
During the second and third centuries, the Meroitic influence predominated
in Ethiopia. The newly discovered Stele of Aksum with the
Egyptian symbol of life (Ankh), and objects connected with Hathor, Ptah
and Horus, as well as scarabs, show the influence of the Egyptian Meroe
religion on Aksumite beliefs.
The Aksumite kingdom was an important trade power on the routes from
the Roman world to India and from Arabia to North Africa, and also a
great centre of cultural dissemination. So far, only a few aspects of Aksumite
culture and its African roots have been investigated and much still remains
to be done.
The arrival of Christianity in Ethiopia - as in Egypt and Meroe -
brought great changes in the culture and life of the people. The role of
Christianity and its continuity in Ethiopia, its influence inside and outside
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