The Kingdom of Kush/Nubia: 3800 BCE to 1400 CE

Map of Nubia

Egypt Names Nubia “Kush”

Main Ideas of Ancient Kush The Geography of Early Nubia helped civilization develop there Kush and Egypt traded, but they also fought Later Kush became a trading power with a unique culture Both internal and external factors led to the demise of Kush

Geography of Nubia South of Egypt Situated along the Nile River Unlike Egypt, they were not dependent upon the flooding of the Nile for good soil. They enjoyed tropical rainfall all year long. Cataracts keep Nubia safe from invaders for some time

Nubia – “Land of Gold” Nubia was a land of natural wealth. They had gold mines, ivory, incense, copper and iron ore.

Daily Life of Common People Most people lived in farming villages- Each village had a leader Like most ancient peoples, Nubians depended on agriculture for their food Agricultural crops: Yams, beans, rice, onions, papaya, gourds, cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, cotton, and peanuts. Dressed similar to Egyptians at first (white cotton) , then dressing more like those in the Southern Sahara (colorful cotton)

Daily Life of Kings, Queens &Nobles Kings, Queens and Nobles lived in riverside palaces Queens were often more powerful than Kings At first they modeled themselves after Egyptian Kings & Queens

Ancient Kushite Religion At first Kush worships the same gods as the Egyptians Mummified the dead Built pyramids – similar but were smaller with flat tops

Relations with Egypt Kush respected Egyptian culture and traded with them In the New Kingdom, Egypt felt threatened by Kush so they conquered Kush in 1500 BC Egypt ruled Kush for about 450 years (until the end of the New Kingdom)

Kush’s Time of Glory After the New Kingdom fell, Kush senses Egypt’s weakness and conquers Upper Egypt. They then make relations with Lower Egypt and conquer them. Kashta and his son Piankhi Extend the Kushite kingdom from Napata in Nubia to the Nile Delta.

Piankhi 751-716 BCE Piankhi was the son of Kashta, and a very powerful military leader. He was very religious. He believed he had the support of the gods to rule over the Egyptian people.

Kushite Occupation of Egypt Kush’s occupation in Egypt is know as the 25th Dynasty Piankhi and his relatives believed the old pharaohs of Egypt were their ancestors. Kush tried to restore Egyptian cultural practices They bulit temples to Egyptian gods The worked to preserve hieroglyphics

The End of Kushite Occupation of Egypt Kush held Egypt for about 50 years until the Assyrians invaded They had better iron weapons than the Kushites

Kush Becomes the Iron Capital of the Ancient World After their defeat by the Assyrians, the Kushites retreat back to their homeland – Nubia There they devoted themselves to trade The city of Meroe is the economic capital

Kush Becomes the Iron Capital of the Ancient World Meroe is an area full of rich iron ore deposits This is the place where AFRICA’s first iron industry begins People need iron to make weapons To create iron there was a need for wood to burn in furnaces to melt down the iron ore

Trade Networks Ancient peoples want iron weapons and statues this sparks the desire to trade Kush sent goods down to Nile to Egypt Egyptian and Greek merchants carried goods to ports in the Mediterranean and Red Seas and ports in southern Africa. In later times Kushite goods may have even traveled to India and perhaps China Trade with other nations brought cultural influences to Kush

Trade Networks Exports Imports Gold Fine jewelry Pottery Iron tools Slaves Ivory Leopard skins Ostrich Feathers Elephants Imports Fine jewelry Luxury items

The Demise of Kush To make iron, they needed to wood to burn. They had used up much of their wood. Their resources were dwindling. Kush could not produce as much iron as they had in the past, yet demand for iron was growing. Traders began to look elsewhere for iron. By 300s AD Kush lost its wealth a military might The Kingdom of Aksum conquers Kush

Video Notes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuIJsGkV2h4