A revised work, based on the author's doctoral research, which examines the Meroitic Civilization in sub-Saharan Africa. Rejecting the common Egyptocentric approach to the subject, Edwards' concern is to develop a more social archaeology, and explore linkages between state structure, population and material culture. His aim is to adopt an African oriented standpoint, refusing to rely only upon monuments, the higher arts, and inscriptions, to produce a traditional historical narrative. Using modern advances in theory and methodology, the analysis covers 'power bases' (subsistence & production, economic administration, manufactures), long-distance exchanges and the prestige goods economy, and thorough interpretation of settlement patterns in lower Nubia. Extensive Bibliography.