AFRICA
Africa
Nubia The area south of Egypt on the Nile is called Nubia. There were different Nubian civilizations. Egyptian merchants traveled to Nubia to obtain ivory, ebony, frankincense (a fragrant tree resin),and leopard skins.
Kush One of the great civilizations in Nubia was Kush. Axum and Ethiopia followed in time. Kush was a civilization that existed on the Nile River in what is now Sudan. They had a powerful civilization that imitated and for a time conquered the Egyptians.
Kush Meroë The Kush were able to come to power and conquer the Egyptians when the New Kingdom weakened. The 25th dynasty was made of Kushite pharaohs. The Kush passed the crown through the mother’s line, like the Egyptians, but unlike the Egyptians, they also had female pharaohs. Their capital during the classical era was at Meroë. http://www.catchthepig.co.uk/photos.htm
Kush They became a powerful trading post. Their location was a great point on a land route across the desert to the north that crossed the Nile. It was also blessed with a large supply of iron ore. Kushites made iron weapons and tools For the next several hundred years, Kush was a major trading empire with links to other states throughout the region. Kush provided iron products and goods from central and eastern Africa to the Roman Empire, as well as to Arabia and India. Other major exports were ivory, gold, ebony, and slaves. In return, the Kushites received luxury goods, including jewelry and silver lamps from India and Arabia.
Kingdom of Kush
The Great Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel The Kiosk of Trajan is in the foreground, while the Temple of Isis is at the right rear. The reservior of the first Aswan Dam flooded the complex for much of each year. http://www.umich.edu/~kelseydb/Exhibits/AncientNubia/PhotoIntro.html The Great Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel
Aswan Dam The first hydroelectric dam was built on the Nile from 1898-1902. It was built by the British who had control over the area. It flooded an area by this temple, the Temple of Philae, creating a lake.
Aswan Dam The second dam was started in the 1950s and finished in 1970. This dam, the Aswan High Dam, was supposed to control the regular flooding of the Nile. It did create electricity, but it ended up making areas in Ethiopia and Sudan desert.
axum The Kingdom of Kush was driven out of Egypt by the Assyrians and then the Persians. They were eventually conquered by a kingdom from what is now Ethiopia called Axum. Axum was on the Red Sea in Ethiopia which made it a great trading nation. They traded with the Mediterraneans, Middle Easterners, and Asians.
Axum
AXUM Because of their location on the Red Sea they were a crossroads, not just for trade, but for culture and ideas. The Axumites converted to Judaism and Christianity, and because of their eventual isolation, retained older forms of the faiths. The Arc of the Covenant is said to be hidden in the ancient kingdom of Axum. Massive stone towers, called stelae, mark the tombs of 3rd- and 4th-century kings of Aksum, in what is now northern Ethiopia. Some stelae, like the one shown here, were carved to resemble palaces, with false windows and doors. http://encarta.msn.com/media_701508212_761572628_-1_1/Giant_Stelae_of_Aksum.html
Axum King Ezana converted in the 4th century AD to Christianity and started the first African Christian culture. He embraced Christianity and also conquered areas to the North.
ethiopia The kingdom of Axum was conquered by the kingdom of Ethiopia which exists today. Ethiopia was the first Christian kingdom in Africa. 12th century Coptic Christian Church in Ethiopia http://encarta.msn.com/media_701508212_761572628_-1_1/Giant_Stelae_of_Aksum.html
Saba or Sheba Southern Arabia/modern day Yemen and a little bit of Ethiopia 7,000BC-275AD Wealthy kingdom that traded spices and incense.