1. Warm Up 10/28 & 10/29
Where were the Nubian kingdoms located and what similarities did they have with Egypt?

2. Answer Nubia located south of Egypt along the Nile
Region stretched north to first cataract, Egypt’s southern boundary
Nubians depended on Nile
Landscape made farming difficult
Nile flows through rocky mountains in Nubia

3. The Region of Nubia A Wealth of Resources
Nubia had great mineral wealth
Mines produced gold, granite, precious stones
Location was also a valuable resource
Goods from central Africa to other lands flowed into Nubia
Goods traded through Nubia included animal skins, ivory, ebony, slaves

5. Nubia’s People Egyptian writings state that:
Nubians were skilled potters, expert traders and archers
Egyptians called Nubia the Land of the Nine Bows
Some Egyptian rulers hired Nubian archers as police, soldiers

7. Early History Nubia formed at same time as Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Nubia possessed great wealth
Nubia and Egypt became rivals
Egypt conquered Nubia during Middle Kingdom
Nubia adopted Egyptian culture

9. Compare and Contrast
How was Nubia similar to and different from Egypt?

10. Answer similar—both situated on the Nile, depended on the river;
different—in Egypt, the Nile flows through rich farmland, in Nubia it flows through rocky mountains, and farming is almost impossible; Nubia produced valuable minerals that could be traded

11. The Growth of Kush
Northern Nubia was controlled by Egypt during the Middle Kingdom, while a powerful southern Nubian state called Kush began to develop.

12. Beginnings of Power Egypt’s Middle Kingdom collapsed around 1700 BC
Kush expanded to rule all Nubia
Alliance with Hyksos
Trade increased
Used wealth to build royal tombs in Kerma
New Kingdom Egyptians conquered Kush, 1500 BC

13. Egyptians in Kush Egypt ruled 400 years
Egyptian rulers built temples, monuments throughout Kush
Kush regained power after reign of Ramses the Great
Free of Egyptian control by 1100 BC
Kushites weak, disorganized after years of Egyptian control

14. Kushites in Egypt New Kushite kingdom, 750 BC
Began to grow and strengthen
Kush’s rulers decided to expand power to a weakened Egypt after fall of New Kingdom
Piankhi led Kushites north into Egypt

15. Piankhi Described as compassionate ruler, ruthless warrior
Conquered all of Egypt
Kushite rulers held power only about a century
Mid-600s BC, Assyrians swept into Egypt, pushed Kushite pharaohs back into Nubia

16. Growth of Kush Kushite Culture
Kushite pharaohs, guardians of Egyptian tradition
Had bodies mummified, buried in pyramids
Adopted Egyptian hieroglyphics as writing system
Did not abandon all their own customs
Did not adopt Egyptian style of dressing
Statues show distinctly Nubian features, clothing
Statues show pharaohs wearing crown with two cobras, symbol of union of Egypt and Kush

17. Later Kush
There are few records for the period immediately following the Kushite expulsion from Egypt. However in the mid-200s BC, the Kushites moved their capital farther south along the Nile from Napata to Meroë. The scope of change in culture was so great, some refer later Kush as a separate culture.