ABSTRACT
The Middle Kerma (Kerma Moyen), representing a period of some 300 years (c.2050-1750 BC), broadly corresponds with the period of the Egyptian late XIth, XIIth and XIIIth Dynasties. This period saw the Egyptian conquest of Lower Nubia as far as the Second Cataract region, and the establishment of a military frontier zone in the northern Batn al-Hajar. This extension of Egypt’s political and military power into Lower Nubia must have brought significant changes to its relations with Kerma, although its real impact on the history of Kerma has yet to be determined. The inhabitants of Lower Nubia were, however, forced into a new and very different relationship with their Egyptian neighbours. These new circumstances are likely to have been the major factor in the development of a much more distinctive regional culture in Lower Nubia, diverging from its southern origins.
