The earliest occurrence of the name Meroe so far found was on the stele of Irike-Amannote who ruled in the last third of the 5th century BC.
Meroe was the southern administrative center for the kingdom of Cush, beginning about 750 BC, at a time when Napata was still its capital. Its ruler named King Piye led his military forces to conquest Egypt and founded the twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt.
The Meroitic Empire became a powerful Kushite state in the Middle Nile region of the Sudan, lasting from the fourth century BC to the fourth century BC.
The rulers of Meroe administered a series of villages and towns along the river from Lower Nubia to Sennar on the Blue Nile, and the Butana centers, controlling the gold, ivory and slave trade with Egypt.
City state of Meroë
