Between 1550 and 1069 BC both Lower and Upper Nubia were colonized by the Egyptians, with many Egyptians settling in Nubia permanently. Lower Nubia quickly fell under Egyptian control but the Kushite centre of Upper Nubia put up a long hard fight, capitulating only in about 1460 BC.
Once Egyptian control was established the Nubians gained a degree of autonomy, the Egyptians being concerned mainly with maintaining the frontiers of the empire and internal order, collecting revenues and securing labour for both civil and military purposes. Nubian rulers became thoroughly Egyptianized.
Gold, cattle and exotic items from independent southern Nubia, including slaves, were the main forms of tribute exacted by the Egyptian rulers, presented to the pharaoh annually in a grandiose ceremony. The Egyptian colonists established new urban centres throughout Nubia, as at Faras, which became foci for local Nubians as well.
