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Sundiata

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  1. Sundiata
    The Kingdom of Kush: A Kingdom of the bow, the axe, the spear, the dagger, and the mace Boston Museum of Fine Arts collection The fourth in a series of selected Kushite artefacts from the museum of fine arts, Boston. See more of the collection here, in Kushite Gold, Kushite Bronze and Kushite pottery, beads and faience. This post will be of particular interest to Kushite military units. A very important note that needs to be made, is that Kushites did not burry their dead with weapons of warfare. This was very confusing for early researchers, who, in conjunction with the leading prejudices of the time, concluded that Kushites were not a warlike people. They concluded that the 17 Egyptian Middle Kingdom fortresses in Lower Nubia were built to keep out another, unknown fantasy enemy. Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth, and this has been readdressed in more contemporary research. Despite the Kushites not commonly burying their dead with weapons, as with everything, there are exceptions, and the Musuem of Fine Arts houses quite a few of these exceptions. It seems to me that most of the weapons found buried in Kushite graves are most closely related with the hunt, and ceremonial purposes. Kushites simply didn't expect to wage war in the afterlife... Nonetheless, these exceptions give us something tangible to work with.
  2. Sundiata
    Yes, that's why the relevant sections should be copied into new threads. This single master thread is important. It's value goes beyond 0AD. + some people like to read a lot
  3. Sundiata
    It's just that I've grown quite fond of this thread. It is literally the only place on the internet that offers such a large collection of sources and visual references on the Kingdom of Kush. I'd hate to see it split up... It can be used as a reference source for so many purposes outside of 0AD as well.
  4. Sundiata
    Let's keep this thread as it is, and copy the relevant sections to the necessary new threads?
  5. Sundiata
    I haven't had time to focus on the indigenous terminology yet, which is indeed very difficult seen as their language is very poorly understood. I was thinking that we can combine ancient Egyptian and modern Nubian as an approximation for ancient Meroitic... For bonuses and unique techs, I was thinking something like: - Saqiya: animal driven waterwheel, introduced in the Ptolemaic period, increasing agricultural output. - Cattle herding: lowered cost to train large herds of cattle - Iron-smelting: metal mining bonus - Fervor of Amun: warriors fight with increased strength and passion, for the love of Amun - Fired brick making: significantly increased strength for buildings - Jewelry making: trade bonus ...
  6. Sundiata
    @LordGood The walls and coral look just right.. The architectural set is really coming along very nicely.... May I suggest a pylon gateway though? They were used more ceremoniously than defensively, but just like most aspects of Kushite society, there was a lot of symbolic/ceremonial use of stuff. @stanislas69 We have written records of the 25th dynasty Kushite pharaoh Piye using battering rams and siege-towers. These records were studied by the later Kings and Queens of Kush, so they definitely knew what they were. But once again, I have no idea what they looked like, or whether they used them in the 500BC-1AD period... A generic battering ram doesn't seem like a bad idea though. I'm in favour of the Amun temple being the Special Building. A wonder needs to be unique, and off the top of my head, I can think of at least 8 different Amun temple complexes throughout the Kingdom of Kush, all of them following the exact same floor-plan. The cult of Amun formed a sort of shadow-government, and influenced many aspects of Kushite society, including politics, religion, culture, warfare and economy. The pyramids could just be a given... One of the unique things about playing with Kush. The most unique, monumental structure/complex we know of is Musawwarat es Sufra, known to the Kushites as Aborepi (place of the elephant). At least some of their royals grew up here. This is also the most likely place for elephant training in Kush. Basically the perfect wonder: @wackyserious Thank you! Some of their warriors made use of leopard and lion pelts around their waist. It seems to have been symbolic, being a sign of bravery (to have been able to kill one of those animals is not an easy task) and the leopard pelt in particular has a spiritual side to it as well, being closely associated with Amun. Their shields were often made of/covered with cow or oxhide (brown or black spots over white), as well as leopard skin and elephant- and rhino-leather. The units you made look really good as they are, and do seem to represent the urban elites. Noble and royal elites would have also made use of bronze scale armour: @Lion.Kanzen Up to now, I've only found a single reference for that type of shield coming from the right time-period. The problem is, it's seen in a figurine from Ptolemaic Egypt, featuring a Nubian mercenary. It's very possible they were used in ancient Kush, though I'm sure pointy shields like that would have been avoided on horse-back (looks like you could seriously stab your own horse with that). @wowgetoffyourcellphone Feel free to start the necessary threads. I don't know where to start them without spamming the forum My request for a sub-forum didn't get me very far...
  7. Sundiata
    Wow, people, all this stuff is looking fantastic... Very humbling... Those pyramids are perfect... @wackyserious, I'm a big fan of all the other work you've done for 0AD so far, and I'm very happy you want to work on the Kushites! Looking forward to what you come up with. I really need to drop some more unit-concept art soon, so you can use that. Your first attempt looks darn near perfect though... @Lion.Kanzen I forgot which one, but one of the classical writers notes that they also armed their women, but I have no clue, how they looked like, or how they were used... A female bodyguard for the builder-Queen Amanishakheto doesn't seem that far-fetched though... But let's stick to what we can attest through research.
  8. Sundiata
    Very true... Although the Gauls need a revamp too, but that's a discussion for another time
  9. Sundiata
    A mysterious, ancient civilisation is trying to eke out a living, on the banks of 0AD's Nile River... Special thanks to @LordGood, @wowgetoffyourcellphone, @balduin, @stanislas69, @Lion.Kanzen, @Zophim and many others who have supported and continue to support this project. A preliminary version of The Kushites is now playable in Delenda Est, which can be downloaded right here! For more information on the development of the Kushite mod, check out: https://wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?/topic/21602-the-kingdom-of-kush-a-proper-introduction-illustrated/
  10. Sundiata
    This totally made my month @wowgetoffyourcellphone... Thank you so very much Amun will be pleased Delenda Est is awesome by the way... Can't wait to play it more... Yes, I know, those farms should have been built outside my territory, I learnt the hard way
  11. Sundiata
    Civ VI ain't got a thing on 0AD... By the way, your first models came out months before anyone knew Civ VI was going to add the "Nubians". They didn't even name them correctly, opting for anachronistic pop-culture terminology instead... Our project here is way more accurate. I mean, look at those temples... Perfection! In the coming weeks I'll attempt to provide some relief-outlines, which lion can use to create unique textures, so the temple and pyramid chapel will be identical in form, but using different reliefs.
  12. Sundiata
    And you're making a dream come true, LordGood, wow...
  13. Sundiata
    @LordGoodI guess you're referring to this, Egyptian machicolated balcony... I totally learnt a new word today... I think they were a feature of the Middle Kingdom Egyptian Fortresses in Nubia, which were taken over by the Kushites during the 25th dynasty, and remained under Kushite control until I presume Ptolemy II's Nubian campaign in the 3d century BC, who actually reoccupied some of these fortresses, which had fallen in disuse by then. I can't provide you with conclusive proof of their use, but If you're going heavy on the Egyptian references for the fort, then why not? On this Neo-Assyrian relief, depicting an assault/siege on a fortified Kushite position in Northern Egypt, around 672BCE, something similar to a machicolated balcony can be seen.
  14. Sundiata
    So it begins...
  15. Sundiata
    You should, and take some pictures while you're there
  16. Sundiata
    The Kingdom of Kush: A Kingdom of exquisite pottery, fine beads and blue glazed faience Boston Museum of Fine Arts collection The third in a series of selected Kushite artefacts from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. See here for A Kingdom of Gold , and here for A Kingdom of Bronze. Here I present a selection of beautiful fine ceramics, beads and blue glazed faience amulets from the Meroitic period. These things are found quite abundantly in Kushite archaeological sites, and once again attest to the level of craftsmanship reached by the people of ancient Kush:
  17. Sundiata
    But maybe someone can answer the guy's other question: "I wanted to ask how long there is the tutorial in the game?" I don't actually know myself... Also: "If the in-game encyclopedia it's similar to the AoM design, with internal links ( @s0600204 it would be?), swastika could have a dedicated entry to explain this." Definitely, to avoid any confusion...
  18. Sundiata
    I have seen a 2000 year old swastika from Kush, 800 year old Swastikas from Christian Rock Churches in Lalibela (Ethiopia) and Swastikas from my own people (Akan people, from Ghana), dating anywhere from 1400 to 1720 AD, so even in Africa it has been used significantly, long before Hitler... 0AD is a historical RTS, and the Swastika was, and remains an important symbol in Buddhism and Hinduism, so you shouldn't associate with Nazism at all in this context.
  19. Sundiata
    Actually, those would be Kerma period Kushites, or the Kingdom of Kerma, (but yes, they're colloquially, yet erroneously referred to as Nubians). Kingdom of Kerma goes from c. 2500 BCE to 1500 BCE Then they get conquered and assimilated by New Kingdom Egypt from c. 1500BCE to 1000 BCE Then the Napatan period, from c. 1000 BCE to 270BCE Then the Meroitic period, from c. 270BCE to 350 AD Kerma, Napata and Meroe are three different periods of the Kingdom of Kush. After the collapse of the Meroitic state, we see the rise of the Nobatae (Noba), who set up the Kingdom of Nobatia in Northern Sudan. That's where the name Nubia comes from. The central Sudanic, Christian Kingdom of Makuria eventually conquered the kingdoms of Nobatia to it's north, and Alodia to it's south, becoming a major power, twice defeating invasions from the Rashidun Caliphate. Makuria is also worthy of a place in Millennium AD. Sorry for going off topic :/
  20. Sundiata
    @Lion.Kanzen Most definitely... Mali Empire is a must have : Songhai, The Hausa Kingdoms, Axum and the Swahili city-states are all very interesting as well, for Millennium AD
  21. Sundiata
    Hi, I live in Ghana (where my father is from), GMT -0, but I grew up in Belgium, in the Flemish part (where my mother is from). Sundiata Keita was the founder of the Mali Empire, and I'm fascinated by African history and empires, so... That's where the name comes from... Oh, and my profile pic is one of the famous "Ife Bronzes", from medieval Nigeria...
  22. Sundiata
    The Kingdom of Kush: A Kingdom of Bronze! Boston Museum of Fine Arts collection This is the second, in a series of selected Kushite artefacts from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The first post of this series, can be seen in A Kingdom of Gold! This time I will highlight a selection of fine Meroitic period bronze objects from Kush, illustrating their age-old craftsmanship in this copper and tin alloy. Bronze was primarily used to create all sorts of vessels, like cups, bowls, vases and kettles, as wel as a large variety of other house-hold objects like mirrors, eating utensils, and even weapons, statues and other decorations. Bronze had been used by the Kushites since the third millennium BC during the Kerma period, and continued to be used well past the decline of Meroitic Kush. As with their gold-working, Kushite metallurgical skills are clearly demonstrated in this selection of bronze objects. Meroitic period Bronze from Kush: The source for all Meroitic period, Kushite bronze in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: http://www.mfa.org/search?search_api_views_fulltext=meroitic+bronze
  23. Sundiata
    @Lion.Kanzen Woooow.... Supernice! Only remark is that you should try to get the white crown of Upper Egypt, on the left cobra on the crown, to be white. Other than that, marvellous!!! I'll try to trace some more reliefs for you to play around with, but it will take some time...
  24. Sundiata
    @Lion.Kanzen Another possible variation?
  25. Sundiata
    The top, horizontal horns on the crown, represent ram's horns, but it's part of the crown, so it could either be grey'ish or gold, like the rest of the crown.. So whatever you think is best. It's a horned ram, with a ram's horn crown...
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