1. The Civilization of Kush
Chapter 2 Section 4
World History
Mrs. Thompson

2. Nubia is the region of North Africa on the east side of the Nile, just downstream from the fourth cataract.

3. Nubia
MAIN IDEA:
To the south of Egypt, the Nubians settled in farming villages and became the string warriors.

4. From Where Did They Come?
Cattle herders arrived 2000 B.C.
Grazed herds on savannas- grassy plains across Africa south of the Sahara
Nile was easy access for trading

5. Kingdom of Kerma More powerful villages took over
weaker ones to set up Kerma.
2. Close ties to Egypt.
3. Kerma produced: cattle, gold, ivory,
and slaves for Egypt .
4. Artisans made pottery, jewelry, metal goods.
5. Kings built tombs like Egyptian pharaohs.

6. Why Did Egypt Invade Nubia?
Egyptian
Rule
Cultural
Changes
Military
Collapse
Thutmose III sent armies into Nubia in 1400s B.C.
Kerma collapsed after 50 years of war.
Egyptian ways were adopted: religion, copper and bronze making, hieroglyphics.
Egyptians ruled for more than 700 years.

7. Meroitic – Adaptation of Heiroglyphics
The system is written from right to left
Total of 23 symbols included four vowels
The Meroitic script is very similar to the Egyptian Writing System
This is written from right to left unlike the Egyptian system which can be written right to left, left to right, and vertically.

8. Meroitic Writing: Never Decoded

9. The Rise of Kush Main Idea:
The people of Kush devoted themselves to ironworking and grew wealthy from trade.

10. Kings of Kush By 850 B.C., independent kingdom of Kush had formed.
In Napata, caravans easily came there to carry gold, ivory, and exotic woods to Egypt.
Kushite kings ruled from the capital city of Napata.

11. Important People
750 B.C., King Kashta began conquest of Egypt and son Piye finished job to rule Kush and Egypt from Napata.

12. KINGDOM OF KUSH

13. King Piye: Pharaoh of Egypt
Kings of Kush built temples and smaller pyramids to bury kings.

14. Pyramids at Meroe

15. Arts
Traditionally Kushite Kings were buried in pyramids, therefore much of the time that would have otherwise been used for other arts was taken up by building these massive structures.

16. Religion Polytheistic They worshipped Osiris, Ra and Isis Pyramids
Burials
Ladder to heaven
Chapel
Cult of Isis was the strongest religion Very similar to Egyptian religion

17. Amun Ra Amun Ra was the most important God to the Kush.
He was known as the sun god to both the Kush and Egyptians.

18. Jelbel Barkel: Center of Amon Priesthood
Local Gods Worshiped here

19. Funerary Images modeled on Egypt

20. Canoptic Jars
Egyptian
Influence:
Queen
Alakhebasken

21. Ram’s Head
Incorporates
Egyptian
Themes

22. Arts They took after the Egyptians Advanced level of craft Pottery
Jewelry
Mainly used gold, silver, and semi precious stones to make plaques, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings
jewelry modeled on Egyptian styles
Pottery is best known for its texture and decoration
Found in burial tombs

23. 600s B.C., Assyrians invaded Egypt and pushed the Kush back south
Importace of Iron
Kushites learned secret of making iron from the Assyrians.
Used iron to make hoes and plows improving their farming.
First Africans to devote themselves to making iron.
Traders took goods as far away as China and military got stronger with iron weapons.

24. Kush and Meroe
540 B.C., they set up capital at Meroe which was further south and out of reach from the Assyrians.

25. NEW CAPITAL AT MEROE
The desert to the east contained rich deposits of iron ore and well as strategic access to the Nile.
Meroe began to look like Egyptian city with pyramids.

26. Building a Profitable Trade
The Nile was crucial to the economy.
Only water source.
Only feasible route to sub Saharan Africa.
Meroe became center of huge trading network.

27. Temple: Meroe

28. Trade
Kushite traders received leopard skins and exotic woods from the interior of Africa and traded their own goods as well to Mediterranean and Indian Ocean civilizations.

29. GOLDEN AGE OF KUSH 300 BC – 100 AD Keys to Success location land
energetic people
Culture
engraved walls
stone pyramids
developed own writing system in 300 BC (not translated yet)

30. Relief Celebrating Meroitic Queen

31. Colonial Period at Abu Sembel

32. Cups from Meroe

33. Lion’s Temple: Naqa Depictions on Temple face Show power Of Queens or
Candake

34. Elephant Sculpture

35. By A.D. 200s, Kush began to weaken.
Kingdom known as Axum from current-day Ethiopia burned Meroe to the ground in A.D. 350.