P. L. Shinnie

A good basic account of the lt phase of the Kush kingdom --unlike most books on Kush, it focuses almost entirely on the late Meroe phase (roughly 500s BC to 300s AD) with only brief references to the earlier periods centered on Kerma and Napata. Besides a summary of such history as is known (with quotations of most of the significant texts) it includes descriptions of the buildings, pottery, and -- of most interest to me--language, with a good account of how the phonetic values of the Meroitic script were deciphered and some discussion of the possible meanings of words and linguistic affiliations. It ends with a cautious discussion of possible Meroitic influence on later African cultures --the most likely possibility in Shinnie's opinion being ironworking in Central and East Africa. He discounts most claims of influence in West Africa (e.g. Benin).… (meer)