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the kingdom of kush
In addition to Egypt, other civilizations flourished in Africa. One of these African civilizations was Nubia, later known as Kush. Nubia was located south of Egypt along the Nile River in present-day Sudan. Cattle herders were the first people to settle in this region, arriving about 2000 B.C. They herded long-horned cattle on the savannas, that stretch across the Sahara. Unlike the Egyptians, the Nubian's did not rely on the Nile floods to create fertile soil. Their land had fertile soil and received rainfall all year long.
the rise of kerma
Gradually, the stronger Nubian villages took over the weaker ones and formed the kingdom of Kerma. The Nubians of Kerma grew wealthy from agriculture and the mining of gold. Their kingdom developed a close relationship with Egypt in the north. Egyptians usually hired Nubians to serve in the armies because of their great fighting skills. Nubians also built pyramids and buried the kings with their belongings.
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egyptian invasion
Egyptian armies invaded Nubia in the 1400s B.C. After a 50-yeat war, the Egyptians conquered the kingdom of Kerma and ruled it for the next 700 years. As a result of Egyptian rule, the ANubians adopted many of the beliefs and customs of Egyptian culture. For example, the Nubians worshiped Egyptian gods and goddesses along with their own Nubian deities. They learned to use copper and bronze to make tools. The Nubians adapted Egyptian hieroglyphics to fit their own language and create an alphabet.
kush conqueres egypt
In time, Kush became powerful enough to challenge Egypt. About 750 B.C, a Kushite king named Kashta invaded Egypt. His soldiers reached the city of Thebes. After Kashta died, his son Piye became king and completed the conquest of Egypt in 728 B.C. Piye founded the twenty-fifth Dynasty that governed Egypt and Kush from Napata. Kings and wealthy people of Kush kept Egyptian traditions with them. Kushites built sandstone temples, and similar monuments to the Egyptians. They also worshiped their sun god for directions, or helped with a new king.
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using iron
Kush ruled Egypt for about 60 years. In 671 B.C, the Assyrians invaded Egypt. Armed with iron weapons, the Assyrians defeated the Kushites, who only had bronze weapons, the Assyrians defeated the Kushites fled Egypt and returned to their homeland in the south. Despite their defeat in Egypt, the Kushites learned how to make Iron for the Assyrians. Farmers in Kush used Iron to make their hoes and plows instead of copper or stone. With better tools, theywere able to grow more grain and other crops. Kushite warriors also created iron weapons, which boosted their military strength.
the capital of meroe
In 540 B.C, Kush rulers moved their capital to the city of Meroe, near one of the Nile's cataracts. This move made them safer from the Assyrians attacks. Kushite kings modeled the layout and design of Meroe after Egypt's great cities. A temple dedicated to the god Amon-Re stood at the end of a long avenue lined with sculptures of rams. The walls were decorated with paintings. They also had pyramids as the Egyptians. However, they were different from them because it contained iron furnaces.
a trading center
Meroe was at the heart of a large web of trade that ran north to Egypt's border and south into central Africa. Kush's merchants received leopard skins and valuable woods from the tropical interior of Africa. In return, they brought back cotton, textiles, or woven cloth, and other goods. Kush remained a great trading kingdom for nearly 600 years. Then, another kingdom called Axum emerged near the Red sea in eastern Africa. Axum is located in the present-day country of Ethiopia. Axum gained its strength from its location on the Red sea . Goods from Africa flowed into Axum. Over time, it served as a trading center for the ancient Mediterranean and East African worlds. Around A.D. 350, the armies of Axum invaded Kush and destroyed Meroe.
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