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The Civilizationof KushLooking Back, Looking AheadMeeting PeopleIn Sections 1, 2, and 3, you learnedabout the rise and fall of civilizationsin ancient Egypt. Another civilizationin early Africa was Kush. It waslocated near Egypt and was verysimilar.Kashta (KAHSH tuh)Piye (PY)Content Vocabularysavanna (suh VA nuh)Academic VocabularyFocusing on the To the south of Egypt, the Nubianssettled in farming villages and becamestrong warriors. (page 188) The people of Kush devotedthemselves to ironworking and grewwealthy from trade. (page 189)collapse (kuh LAPS)decline (dih KLYN)HistorySocial ScienceStandardsWH6.2 Studentsanalyze the geographic,political, economic,religious, and socialstructures of the earlycivilizations ofMesopotamia, Egypt,and Kush.Reading StrategyCompare and Contrast Use a Venndiagram like the one below to show thesimilarities and differences betweenNapata and Meroë.Locating PlacesNubia (NOO bee uh)Kush (KUHSH)Kerma (KAR muh)Napata (NA puh tuh)Meroë (MEHR oh ee)Napata800 B.C.NRile.NapataMeroë700 B.C.600 B.C.500 B.C.c. 750 B.C.728 B.C.c. 540 B.C.Kashta ofKush conquerspart of EgyptPiye of Kushdefeats EgyptiansKush movescapital to MeroëMero eCHAPTER 2 Ancient Egypt and Kush187

WH6.2.8 Identify the location of the Kush civilization and describe its political, commercial, and cultural relations with Egypt.WH6.2.9 Trace the evolution of language and its written forms.NubiaTo the south of Egypt, the Nubians settled in farming villages and became strong warriors.Reading Connection Are you on good terms with yourneighbors? It’s not always easy—for individuals or countries. Read on to find out about the Egyptians’ neighborsto the south and the ways the two civilizations mixed.The Egyptians were not alone in settlingalong the Nile River. Farther south, inpresent-day Sudan, another strong civilization arose. This was in a region calledNubia (NOO bee uh), later known as Kush(KUHSH).Historians do not know exactly whenpeople arrived in Nubia. Evidence suggeststhat cattle herders arrived in about 2000 B.C.They grazed their herds on the savannas(suh VA nuhs), or grassy plains, that stretchacross Africa south of the Sahara. Later, people settled in farming villages in Nubia. Theygrew crops, but they were also excellenthunters, skilled at using the bow and arrow.Soon the Nubians began forming armiesknown for their fighting skills.The Kingdom of KermaThe more powerful Nubian villages gradually took overthe weaker ones and created the kingdomof Kerma (KAR muh). Kerma developedclose ties with Egypt to the north. TheEgyptians were happy to trade for Kerma’scattle, gold, ivory, and enslaved people.They also admired Nubian skills in warfareand hired Nubian warriors to fight in theirarmies.Kerma became a wealthy kingdom. Itsartisans made fine pottery, jewelry, and metalgoods. Like Egyptian pharaohs, the kings ofKerma were buried in tombs that held precious stones, gold, jewelry, and pottery. Theseitems were as splendid as those found inEgypt during the same period.In this wall painting, four Nubian princes offer rings and gold to an Egyptian ruler.What kingdom was formed when more powerful Nubian villages took over weaker ones?188CHAPTER 2 Ancient Egypt and Kush

WH6.2.6 Describe the role of Egyptian trade in the eastern Mediterranean and Nile valley.WH6.2.8 Identify the location of the Kush civilization and describe its political, commercial, and cultural relations with Egypt.Why Did Egypt Invade Nubia?As youlearned earlier, the Egyptian pharaohThutmose III sent his armies into Nubia inthe 1400s B.C. After a 50-year war, the kingdom of Kerma collapsed, and the Egyptianstook control of much of Nubia. They ruledthe Nubians for the next 700 years.During this time, the people of Nubiaadopted many Egyptian ways. They beganto worship Egyptian gods and goddessesalong with their own. They learned howto work copper and bronze and changedEgyptian hieroglyphs to fit their own language. As people and goods continued topass between Nubia and Egypt, the twocultures mixed.Identify Where was Kushlocated in relation to Egypt?Kush Kingdom c. 250 B.C.The Rise of KushThe people of Kush devoted themselves to ironworking and grew wealthy from trade.Reading Connection Do you and your friends evertrade video games or CDs? Trading may be a casualactivity for you, but it was essential to ancient peoples.Read to find how Kush took advantage of its locationalong an important trade route.As Egypt declined at the end of theNew Kingdom, Nubians saw their chanceto break away. By 850 B.C., a Nubian grouphad formed the independent kingdom ofKush. For the next few centuries, powerfulKushite kings ruled from the city of Napata(NA puh tuh).Napata was in a favorable location. Itstood along the upper Nile where tradecaravans crossed the river. Caravans sooncarried gold, ivory, valuable woods, andother goods from Kush to Egypt.Mediterranean Sea30 E30 NARABIAR.EGYPT50 EN ileMemphis40 EReThebesdKEYa20 N0NapataNWKushSeSAHARAMero e300 mi.0300 kmLambert AzimuthalEqual-Area projectionES10 N1. Location Which of Kush’s capital cities wasclosest to Egypt?2. Human/Environment Interaction Based on itslocation, where might trade that passed throughKush have come from?These Kushite pyramidswere much smaller andhad more steeply slopedsides than Egyptianpyramids. How else wasMeroë rebuilt to looklike an Egyptian city?CHAPTER 2 Ancient Egypt and Kush189

to bury their kings. The ruins of these pyramids can still be seen today.Selecting aNew KingWhen their king died, the Kushites askedthe god Amon-Re to appoint a new leader.“[The Kushite officials said] ‘We have come toyou, O Amon-Re . . . that you might give to usa lord. . . . That beneficent office [helpful task]is in your hands—mayyou give it to your sonwhom you love!’Then they offered theking’s brothers beforethis god, but he did nottake one of them. For asecond time there wasoffered the king’sbrother . . . Aspalta . . .[Amon-Re said] ‘He isyour king.’”Lion statuein honor ofKing Aspalta—author unknown,c. 600 B.C.,“The Selection of Aspaltaas King of Kush”Do you think Aspalta was qualified to beking? Why or why not?In time, Kush became rich enough andstrong enough to take control of Egypt.About 750 B.C., a Kushite king namedKashta (KAHSH tuh) headed north with apowerful army. His soldiers began theconquest of Egypt that his son Piye (PY)completed in 728 B.C. Piye founded theTwenty-fifth Dynasty that ruled both Egyptand Kush from Napata.The kings of Kush greatly admiredEgyptian culture. In Napata they builtwhite sandstone temples and monumentssimilar to those of the Egyptians. TheKushites also built small pyramids in which190CHAPTER 2 Ancient Egypt and KushThe Importance of Iron Kush’s rule inEgypt did not last long. During the 600s B.C.,the Assyrians invaded Egypt. Armed withiron weapons, they drove the Kushites backto their homeland in the south.Despite their losses, the Kushites gainedsomething from the Assyrians—the secretof making iron. The Kushites became thefirst Africans to devote themselves to ironworking. Soon, farmers in Kush were usingiron for their hoes and plows instead ofcopper or stone. With these superior tools,they were able to grow large amounts ofgrain and other crops.Kush’s warriors also began using ironspears and swords, increasing their militarypower. Meanwhile, traders from Kushtransported iron products and enslavedpeople as far away as Arabia, India, andChina. In return, they brought back cotton,textiles, and other goods.A New CapitalAbout 540 B.C., Kush’s rulersleft Napata and moved farther south to beout of the Assyrians’ reach. In the city ofMeroë (MEHR oh ee), they set up a royalcourt. Like Napata, the new capital hadaccess to the Nile River for trade and transportation. The rocky desert east of Meroë,however, contained rich deposits of ironore. As a result, Meroë became not only atrading city but also a center for makingiron.With their growing wealth, Kush’skings rebuilt Meroë to look like anEgyptian city. Small pyramids stood in theroyal graveyard. A huge temple sat at theend of a grand avenue lined with sculptures of rams. Sandstone palaces and redbrick houses had walls decorated withpaintings or blue and yellow tiles.

Building a Profitable TradeMeroë becamethe core, or center of a huge trading networkthat stretched north to Egypt’s border andsouth into central Africa. Kush’s tradersreceived leopard skins and valuable woodsfrom the interior of Africa. They tradedthese goods, along with enslaved workersand iron products, to people throughout theMediterranean and the Indian Ocean area.Kush remained a great trading powerfor some 600 years. By the A.D. 200s, though,the kingdom began to weaken. As Kushdeclined, another kingdom rose to take itsplace. The kingdom is called Axum andwas located in what is today the country ofEthiopia. Around A.D. 350, the armies ofAxum burned Meroë to the ground. Youwill read more about the kingdom of Axumwhen you study Africa.Kushite KingThe Kushite king Taharqawas one of the mostpowerful leaders inNubian history. Duringhis reign, the kingdomgrew and prospered.He built many largetemples in andaround Egyptand Kush. Whatkingdom replacedKush?Kushite kingTaharqaExplain How did Kushbecome a wealthy kingdom?Study Central Need help with the kingdomof Kush? Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com and click onStudy Central.Reading SummaryReview the In the Nile Valley to the south ofEgypt, the Nubians founded thekingdom of Kerma and tradedwith the Egyptians. The Kushites set up a capital atWhat Did You Learn?1. Who were the Nubians?2. What were the Kushites’ mostimportant economic activities?Critical Thinking3. Sequencing Draw a diagramto show events that led up tothe Kushite conquest of Egypt.CA 6RC2.44. Geography Skills Whywas Napata’s locationbeneficial? CA CS3.5.6. Compare How were Kush andEgypt similar? CA 6RC2.27.Meroë that became a center forironmaking and the base of ahuge trading network.Kush Conquestof EgyptHow did Egypt’sculture affect Kush? CA 6RC2.0PosingQuestions If you wanted tolearn more about Kush, whatquestions would you ask?Write three questions andexchange them with a classmate. Research each other’squestions and write a summaryof your findings. CA HR1.CHAPTER 2 Ancient Egypt and Kush191