Napata
/nəˈpɑːtə/noun
An ancient city and royal center of the Kingdom of Kush in present-day Sudan.
Did you know?Napata stood near Jebel Barkal, a mountain the ancient Egyptians associated with Amun, making the city both a political capital and a major religious center.
Etymological Timeline
New Kingdom Egypt
Ancient Egyptian
Npt
“The Egyptian form of the place-name; its precise original meaning remains uncertain.”
c. 15th–11th centuries BCE
Ancient Egyptian
Npt
“A sacred settlement in the region of Jebel Barkal, associated with the cult of Amun.”
c. 8th century BCE
Kushite Egyptian
Napata
“Royal center of the Kushite state and base from which Kushite rulers expanded into Egypt.”
c. 716–656 BCE
Egyptian and Assyrian records
Napata
“The southern heartland of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, whose rulers controlled Egypt for part of this period.”
After c. 590 BCE
Kushite
Napata
“A continuing religious and dynastic center after the Kushite royal residence shifted south to Meroë.”
Modern English
English
Napata
“The ancient Kushite city and archaeological site near modern Karima, Sudan.”