Chapter 5.4

The Kingdom of Kush

• 6.16 Investigate the kinds of evidence used by archaeologists and historians to draw conclusions about the social and economic characteristics of Ancient Nubia (the Kingdom of Kush) and their relationship to the social and economic characteristics of Ancient Egypt. (C, E, G, H, P)

• 6.21 Identify the location of the Kush civilization and describe its political, commercial, and cultural relationship with Egypt. (C, E, G, H, P)

The Nubians

• Nubia (later known as Kush)

• Located in Africa

• South of Egypt

• In present day Sudan

The Nubians

• Cattle herders were the first to settle

• Herded long-horned cattle on the savannas

• Later, people settled in farming villages along the Nile

The Nubians

• Nubians did NOT rely on the Nile floods to create fertile soil

• Their land had fertile soil and received rainfall all year long

• Farmers grew beans, yams, rice, and rains.

• Hunters and warriors excelled at using the bow and arrow

The Rise of Kerma

• Stronger Nubian villages took over weaker ones and formed the kingdom of Kerma

• Nubians of Kerma grew wealthy from agriculture and the mining of gold

• Developed a relationship with Egypt

• Kerma was a trade link between Egypt and Southern Africa

The Rise of Kerma

• Egyptians acquired cattle, gold, incense, ivory, giraffes, leopards, and enslaved people

• Egyptians hired Nubians to serve in their armies

• Kerma’s artisans produced pottery, jewelry, and metal goods

The Rise of Kerma

• Kerma kings had smaller tombs than Egyptian tombs

• Buried with personal belongings– Including gems, gold, jewelry, and pottery

Egyptian Invasion

• Egyptian armies invaded Nubia in 1400 B.C.

• Egypt conquered Kerma after a 50 year war

• Egypt ruled Kerma for 700 years

Cultural Diffusion

• Nubians adopted Egyptian culture– Worshipped Egyptian gods– Learned to use copper and bronze– Adapted hieroglyphics to fix their language– Created an alphabet

The Kushite Kingdom

• Nubians broke away from Egyptian rule during the Middle Kingdom

The Rise of Kush

• Nubians formed Kush

• Capital was Napata

• Located where trade caravans crossed the upper Nile River

• Trade brought wealth to Kush

Kush Conquers Egypt

• Kushite king Piye conquers Egypt in 728 B.C.

• Founded the 25th dynasty

• Governed Egypt and Kush from Napata

Using Iron

• Kush ruled Egypt for 60 years

• Assyrians invaded Egypt• Armed with iron weapons• The Assyrians defeated

Kush• Kushites returned to their

homeland• Kushites learned how to

create iron tools and weapons and boosted their military strength

The Capital of Meroe

• Kush rulers moved capital to Meroe

• Near one of the Nile’s cataracts

• Iron ore deposits made Meroe a major center for iron production as a trading city

A Trading Center

• Kush remained a great trading kingdom for 600 years

• Axum emerged in present day Ethiopia– Gained strength from its

location on Red Sea– Served as a trading center

from Mediterranean and East African worlds

– Armies of Axum invaded Kush and destroyed

– Meroe