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Unit 5: Ancient Egypt and
Kush
•  Remember...content/vocabulary words in
red will be on the test!
Lesson 1:
The Nile River
The Nile River Valley
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Egypt is one of the four great
river valley civilizations.
At the time when Mesopotamia
was rising and falling, two other
civilizations were developed
along the Nile River in
Northeastern Africa.
•  To the north, was Egypt
•  To the far south was Kush
Even though both the Egyptian
and Kush civilizations were
unique, they influenced one
another throughout their long
histories.
Of all the early river valley
civilizations, most people are
most familiar with ancient
Egypt, as we can still marvel
today at the ruins in present-day
Egypt, including the stone
Sphinx, huge pyramids, and
mummies found in tombs full of
riches.
The NILE RIVER , the longest river in the world (4,160
miles), flows north from the heart of Africa to the
Mediterranean Sea.
Its flood plain was a magnet for life -- human, plant and
animal. Humans were drawn there because they could
grow crops and settle into permanent villages.
The Gift of the Nile
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Bounded on the south, east and west by an
impenetrable desert, and on the north by the
sea, ANCIENT EGYPT was protected from
outside influences, which allowed it to
evolve in its own unique way.
As early as 5000 B.C., hunters and
gatherers began to move into the Nile River
Valley from areas of Africa and Southwest
Asia.
Early permanent settlers built villages and
farmed the land along the banks of the Nile
River.
The early Egyptians who lived in the northern
region originally called their land Kemet,
which means “black land” because the soil
was dark and rich.
•  This eventually became known as
Egypt.
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Many of Egypt’s structures survived because of it’s hot, dry climate.
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The ancient Egyptians depended on the Nile for drinking water, bathing and irrigating their crops.
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To the Egyptians, the Nile was the “creator of all good” and is often considered the “lifeblood of
Egypt”.
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The Nile River starts off as two separate rivers, the Blue Nile and the White Nile.
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Eventually they join just south of Egypt to form the Nile River.
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Where the rivers converge, steep cliffs and boulders create dangerous, fast moving waters
called cataracts (a waterfall or rapid in a river).
A Protected Land
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Over the centuries, the Nile River’s flow
throughout Egypt has created a valley that
ends up looking like a long, winding root of a
plant.
–  Shortly before it reaches the
Mediterranean Sea, the river splits up into
many branches that resemble a plant’s
bloom.
–  The waterways form a fan-shaped area of
fertile marshland called a delta.
The contrast between the lush, green land
next to the Nile and the dry, barren desert on
either side of the river are easily seen.
–  A person could stand with one foot in
fertile soil and one foot in barren sand--that’s how sudden the difference is!
The Nile borders the largest deserts in the
world: to the west is the Libyan Desert which
forms part of the Sahara; to the east is the
Eastern Desert which extends to the Red Sea.
Because of the heat from the deserts, the
ancient Egyptians called them the “Red Land”.
–  This area was not favorable to humans or
animals and kept Egypt isolated from
outside invaders.
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Because of the Nile’s dangerous cataracts,
enemy ships were prevented from traveling
the river to attack Egypt.
To the north, the delta marshland stopped
invaders who sailed from the Mediterranean
Sea.
These physical features gave Egypt an
advantage that Mesopotamia lacked.
–  The Egyptians rarely faced invasion
and therefore, developed quite
peacefully.
Though they were isolated, they weren’t cut
off completely from other people.
–  The Mediterranean Sea and the Red
Sea provided routes for trade.
–  The wind patterns also helped those
traveling along the trade route going
north and south---the flow of the river
was north but the wind helped carry
sailboats south.
The People of the River
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The flooding of the Nile was completely
predictable and was much less
destructive than when the Tigris and
Euphrates flooded.
The melting snow from the mountains
and tropical rains from central Africa
caused the Nile to flood near the middle
of summer; the farmers looked forward to
this and would take advantage when the
water levels went back to normal and
there were deposits of fertile soil left
behind. Sound familiar???
Farmers grew wheat, barley and flax
seeds while the soil was still wet;
eventually, they had enough food to feed
themselves and the animals they raised.
During the dry season, the Egyptians
irrigated their crops by digging bowlshaped holes in the earth to store river
water and then dug canals to send this
water to their crops.
Unlike the Mesopotamians whose rivers were
unpredictable and a constant challenge, the
flooding of the Nile was seasonal and
consistent from year to year.
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Over time, the Egyptians made new tools
to make their work easier such as the
shadoof---a bucket attached to a long
pole that lifts water from the Nile and
empties it into basins.
–  Many Egyptian farmers still use this
method today!
Farmers used geometry to help measure
their land when figuring out where one
field ended and one began in order to
plan their crops.
Egyptians also gathered papyrus, a reed
plant that grew along the Nile.
–  They used papyrus to weave rope,
make sandals, baskets and even
river rafts.
–  Eventually, they figured out how to
make paper out of papyrus!
•  They soaked strips of cut
papyrus in water and then laid
them side by side and pounded
them together. Next, they laid
them to dry, which eventually
formed a large sheet of paper
on which they could write.
How did the Egyptians Write?
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Like the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians
developed their own writing system.
At first, their writing system was made up
of thousands of picture symbols that
represented objects and ideas.
Later, they created symbols that
represented sounds, just like the letters
of our alphabet do!
This complex writing system of sounds
and picture symbols was called
Hieroglyphics.
Few ancient Egyptians could read or
write Hieroglyphics; some Egyptian men,
however, were trained to become scribes
in government or business.
They wrote Hieroglyphics on papyrus
scripts.
Uniting Egypt
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In Egypt, as in Mesopotamia, there eventually became a surplus of food (extra amount),
meaning that some people could leave farming and go into other occupations.
–  Artisans, merchants and traders played an important role in Egypt’s economy.
–  As more goods became available, villages along the Nile began to trade with one
another and before long, they were traveling in caravans to Nubia to the south,
Mesopotamia to northeast and other places outside Egypt’s borders.
–  Egyptian traders learned the ways of life and governments of other societies
The need for organized government became even more important with the amount of
trading and farming that was happening.
–  Government was necessary to:
•  Repair the irrigation ditches and dams
•  Develop a process for storing and distributing grain during famines
•  Settle conflicts over land ownership
Over time, groups of villages merged to form small kingdoms that were each ruled by a
king.
The weaker kingdoms eventually fell under the rule of the stronger ones.
By 4000 B.C., Egypt was made up of two large kingdoms: one in Upper Egypt (the southcentral part of the Nile River valley) and the other in Lower Egypt (along the Nile River’s
north delta).
Narmer---Who was He?
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Narmer was a king of Upper Egypt who led his armies from the valley north into the delta
around 3100 B.C.
Narmer conquered Lower Egypt and married one of the Lower Egypt princesses, unifying
both of the kingdoms.
For the first time, all of Egypt was ruled by one king.
Narmer established a capital in Memphis, a city on the border between Upper and Lower
Egypt.
Memphis began to flourish as a center of government and culture along the Nile.
Narmer’s kingdom lasted for a very long time, even after his death.
–  His crown was passed on to his son and then grandson
•  This kind of ruling, from one person in a family to another and another is called a
dynasty (a line of rulers from one family).
From about 3100 B.C. to 332 B.C., a series of dynasties ruled Egypt and are organized into
three time periods:
–  The Old Kingdom
–  The Middle Kingdom
–  The New Kingdom
Throughout these three time periods, Egypt was usually ruled together under one ruler and
enjoyed a stable government.
Lesson 2: Life in Ancient Egypt
Egypt’s Early Rulers
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Around 2600 B.C., Egyptian civilization
entered the period known as the Old
Kingdom and it lasted until about 2200
B.C.
This period of time was called the
Pyramid Age
The Egyptians took pride in unity and
understood the importance of
everyone working and living according
to similar principles and beliefs.
Because they valued these things,
they developed a government where
the all-powerful ruler controlled both
religious and political affairs.
When a government has the same
person as both the political leader and
the religious leader, this is called a
theocracy.
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Initially, the Egyptian rulers were
known as kings; however, later on they
became known as pharaohs, which
originally meant “great house”.
–  This referred to the grand palace
in which the Pharaoh lived.
The people of Egypt were very loyal to
their leader, the pharaoh. If the
pharaoh commanded something,
everyone was expected to obey.
They thought that by obeying the
pharaoh, the kingdom would survive
things such as famine and wars.
The pharaoh appointed bureaucrats,
or government officials, to carry out his
orders.
–  They were in charge of
supervising the building of dams,
irrigation canals, and brick
granaries (used to store grain
during bountiful harvests so that
people wouldn’t starve during bad
harvests).
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The pharaoh owned all the land in
Egypt and was allowed to use it as he
pleased.
The pharaoh also distributed land to
officials, priests, and wealthy
Egyptians whom he favored.
The Egyptians were also loyal to the
pharaoh because they thought he was
the son of Re (RAY), the Egyptian sun
god.
They believed that the pharaoh was a
god on earth who protected Egypt;
whenever he went out in public, people
would play music and bow their heads
for him.
The pharaoh would ride a bull around
Egypt because it was believed to keep
the land fertile; he was also the first to
cut the grain at harvest because the
Egyptians believed that this action
would produce abundant crops.
Religion in Egypt
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Just like in Mesopotamia, religion played a
huge role in Egyptian life.
The Egyptians worshipped many gods (just
like Mesopotamia) and goddesses.
The Egyptians, however, took their religion
a step further---they believed that their
gods controlled natural forces and human
activities.
The Egyptians depended on the sun to
grow their crops and the Nile to make
fertile soil.
–  Therefore, two of the most crucial
gods to Egyptian civilization were the
sun god Re and the river god Hapi.
–  Another important god was Osiris,
who, with his wife Isis (represented
mothers and wives) ruled over the
world of the dead.
–  Thoth was the god of learning and
could take human or animal form (or
both-like most gods and goddesses).
The Afterlife
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The Egyptians believed that life
after death would be even better
than the present life.
They believed that after a long
journey (present life), they would
arrive at a place of peace.
One of the most important writings
of ancient Egypt was The Book of
the Dead, full of prayers and
magic spells to prepare for the
afterlife.
They believed Osiris greeted
those who had just died at the
gate to the next world.
The Afterlife
•  Originally, the Egyptians believed that only the pharaohs could enjoy
the afterlife.
•  They thought that the pharaoh’s soul resided in his body and, if
protected properly, he would continue to protect Egypt long after he
died.
•  Eventually, the people of Egypt started to believe that everyone could
enjoy the afterlife---rich or poor.
•  With the help of the god Osiris, eternal life was thought to be possible
for everyone, making embalming (the process of treating a body to keep
it from decaying) popular amongst all ancient Egyptians.
•  First, they would remove all the body’s organs and store them in special
jars. Then they would use natron salt to cover the body, which, over a
period of a few days, would dry out all the water in the body.
•  Next, the shrunken, dried up body would be filled with burial spices and
tightly wrapped in strips of linen.
•  The wrapped body was then known as a mummy.
•  The mummy was placed in a coffin within a decorated tomb.
The Afterlife
•  Wealthy people had their mummies placed in
coffins and buried in tombs.
•  Poorer people buried their mummies in the
ground, caves or sand.
•  Even animals were embalmed (mummified), as
the Egyptians saw their animals as not only pets,
but also as sacred creatures.
•  They often buried their cats, birds, and other
animals at temples honoring their gods and
goddesses.
Medical Innovations
•  The Egyptians learned a lot about the human
body through embalming-mainly, they developed
many medical skills.
•  The Egyptians were the first to use splints,
bandages, and compresses.
•  They sewed up cuts and set broken bones and
wrote down medical information on papyrus
scrolls.
–  The Egyptian’s created the world’s first
medical books based on information they
wrote down on papyrus scrolls.
Pyramid Tombs
•  In order to honor their pharaohs,
the Egyptians built grand
pyramids, which were used as
tombs for the pharaohs.
•  The pyramids were as large as
the area of several city-blocks
and can still be seen today in
Egypt.
•  The tombs were filled with
treasures, furniture, and food
that the pharaohs believed they
would need for the afterlife in
order to be happy.
•  The pyramids preserved (saved)
all these objects in relatively
good condition for centuries,
allowing archeologists to still
study them to this day.
How were the Pyramids Built?
•  Thousands of workers spent years of hard
labor to build the pyramids.
–  Farmers did much of the work during the
summer when the Nile flooded and they
couldn’t farm.
–  Carpenters, engineers, surveyors and
stonecutters also helped build the pyramids.
•  The first engineer who built pyramids was Imhotep,
who also served as an official for the pharaoh.
How were the pyramids
built?
•  Workers searched the Nile
River valley for large stones
that would be cut into blocks
by a skilled artisan who used
copper tools.
•  Next, the workers used rope to
fasten the blocks onto wooden
sleds that were pulled along a
path made of logs to the Nile
River.
•  From the river, the stones were
moved onto large boats that
carried them to the building
site.
•  Workers then dragged or
pushed the blocks up ramps to
to be set in place at each new
level of the pyramid.
•  While building the pyramids, the Egyptians came up with
innovations such as:
–  Studying the sky (astronomy) to find north
–  Using astronomy to invent the 365-day calendar with
12 months, divided into seasons.
•  This is the basis for the calendar we still use today!
–  Egyptians used math to figure out how much stone
was needed for the pyramids
•  They had to measure angles
•  Created fractions
•  Number system based on 10
•  Added, subtracted and divided
The Great Pyramid
•  Around the mid-2000’s B.C.,
the Egyptians built biggest and
grandest of pyramids for King
Khufu-The Great Pyramid.
•  The pyramid lies about 10miles from the modern city of
Cairo, Egypt.
•  The Great Pyramid is one of
three pyramids still standing at
Giza at the Nile’s west bank.
•  It’s size is approximately that
of 9 football fields and took
more than 2 million stone
blocks to construct.
•  For more than 4,000 years, the
Great Pyramid stood as the
tallest structure in the world.
Inside a Pyramid
Daily Life in Egypt
•  At its peak, Egypt was home to
about 5 million people.
–  That is about the number of
people living in the state of
Colorado today.
•  Most of the Egyptians lived in
the fertile Nile River valley or
the delta (found at the mouth
of the river).
•  These two areas make up only
3 percent of Egypt’s land and
are still very populated today.
Egyptian Social Structure
Egyptian Social Structure
•  Pharaoh and his family were the highest in the class system
•  Upper Class:
–  Army commanders, nobles and priests
•  Middle Class:
–  Traders, artisans, and scribes
–  People who held skilled jobs/owned businesses
•  Lower Class:
–  Was the largest group of people
–  Farmers, unskilled workers, enslaved people
•  Even though there was a social structure in Egypt, ambitious
people in the lower class were able to improve their social
position by working hard.
•  Slaves were not widely used in Egypt like in Mesopotamia.
How People Lived…
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Egypt’s upper class lived in very
nice homes along the banks of the
Nile River.
–  Had pools filled with fish and
plants
–  Dressed fashionable in white
linen, wore dark eye make-up
and jewelry
–  Servants waited on them and
took care of their homes
Egypt’s middle class lived in more
modest (smaller, simple) homes
than those of the upper class.
–  Produced cloth, jewelry, pottery,
and metal goods
–  Scribes
–  Business owners
How People Lived…
•  Egypt’s lower class lived in houses that were made of mud
brick.
–  Included farmers, unskilled workers and enslaved people
•  Most enslaved people were captured in war and could
earn their freedom over time.
–  Most farmers worked on land owned by the upper class.
•  They usually paid the landowners with some of the
crops grown.
•  Farmers ate a diet of bread, vegetables and fruit.
–  Unskilled workers performed manual labor (involving
physical effort) such as loading/unloading cargo from
boats, transporting items to markets, and even building the
pyramids.
Egyptian Families
•  The family was the most important group in ancient Egyptian
society.
•  Even gods and goddesses were arranged in family groupings.
•  The father was the head of the family but women had more rights
than in other ancient civilizations.
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They could own property
They could buy and sell goods
They could obtain (to gain) a divorce from their husbands
Wealthy women even served as priests
Wives of farmers often worked in the fields with their husbands
Women of higher social class usually stayed at home while their husbands
worked
•  Egyptian children usually did not attend school but rather played; the
girls learned how to cook, sew and manage a household like their
mothers.
•  Boys usually inherited the family business from the fathers.
Egyptian Families
•  When boys and girls became teenagers, they were
expected to marry and start families of their own.
•  Egyptians usually lived in nuclear families-a family
made up of two parents and their children.
–  Some farmers and others in the lower class lived
with their extended family (grandparents, other
married children, etc.)
–  The oldest son (and sometimes daughter) were
expected to care for their parents when they
became too old or sick to take care of themselves.
–  Part of this responsibility included making sure their
parents received a proper burial upon their death.
Lesson 3: Egypt’s Empires
A Golden Age
•  Around 2200 B.C. the ruling pharaohs in
Memphis began to weaken, with ambitious
nobles fighting for control of Egypt.
–  This caused over 200 years of violence and
disorder in the once peaceful Egypt.
–  However, peace returned once more when a
new dynasty of pharaohs took power and
began what is known as the “middle
kingdom”.
•  Lasted from about 2055 B.C. to 1650 B.C.
Changes During the Middle
Kingdom
•  Drainage project in the delta created
1000’s of acres of farmable land to
increase crop production.
•  Added more irrigation dams and channels
to supply more water to the population.
•  The pharaohs ordered the construction of
a canal between the Nile River and the
Red Sea
–  This furthered trade between Egypt and other
countries.
Changes during the Middle
Kingdom
•  During this new time period in ancient Egypt, the arts
also began to flourish.
–  Painters decorated the walls of tombs with colorful
scenes and stories about the deities as well as every
day life.
–  Sculptors carved hunting, fishing and battle scenes on
large stone walls and made statues of the pharaohs,
showing them as ordinary people, not gods.
–  During this time period, the Pharaohs no longer
constructed pyramids for their tombs; they began
cutting into limestone cliffs to serve as their tombs.
•  This area became known as the Valley of the
Kings.
Invasion of the Hyksos
•  During the 1600s B.C., when Egypt was
vulnerable due to civil war, a group of people
from western Asia, called the Hyksos, took
control of Egypt.
•  The Hyksos ruled over Egypt for over 100 years.
–  The Egyptians hated them so they learned
how to use their advanced weapons and
chariots so they could overthrow them.
•  In 1550 B.C., an Egyptian prince named
Ahmose formed an army and drove the Hyksos
out of Egypt.
The New Kingdom
•  With Ahmose came a new dynasty and a
period known as “the New Kingdom” which
lasted from about 1550 B.C. to 1070 B.C.
•  It was during this time that Egypt
prospered through trade, gained more
lands through conquest and reached the
height of its power.
•  Another novelty of the New Kingdom was
Queen Hatshepsut, one of the few
Egyptian women to rule.
A Woman Pharaoh
•  Queen Hatshepsut came to power around 1473 B.C.
and governed with her husband until he died,
whereupon she took power as pharaoh on behalf of
her young nephew.
–  She had to prove she was a good leader to the
Egyptians.
•  Hatshepsut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings has
large wall carvings that illustrate some of the major
events of her reign.
•  She was more interested in promoting trade in Egypt
than starting wars and looked to restore many of the
trade relations that existed before the Hyksos
invasion.
Trade and Politics
•  Because of the lack of trees in the Nile
River valley, the Egyptians ended up
trading with the Phoenicians for wood
products.
–  The Phoenicians had a great impact on other
cultures due to their invention of an alphabet
and a system of writing.
–  Since so many people traded with them, their
innovations and ideas spread across a large
part of the ancient world.
Trade and Politics
•  When Egypt traded wheat, paper, gold, copper,
tin and tools in exchange for Phoenician items,
the Egyptian goods were sold to other cultures
and societies, which helped to make the
Egyptian Empire even more wealthy.
•  Hatshepsut also initiated political ties with
nearby kingdoms through marriage (ex.
Babylonian Empire) as well as through the
exchange of envoys (government officials).
–  This marked the first time in history that a group of
nations tried working together to reach common
goals.
•  Thutmose III, the nephew of Hatshepsut,
took power once she died.
–  He was a strong leader who expanded
Egypt’s control into the north as well as the
south when he conquered Nubia.
•  They captured almost 350 cities during his reign.
•  Because of the number of cities captured, there
were more prisoners of war which meant more
slaves.
•  The Egyptian Empire also grew wealthier with the
conquered kingdoms, acquiring more gold, copper,
ivory and other valuable goods for foreign peoples.
Two Unusual Pharaohs
•  During the New Kingdom, two pharaohs
made a lasting impression: Amenhotep IV
and Tutankhamen.
•  Amenhotep came to power around 1370
B.C. and with the support of his wife, tried
to change Egypt’s long history as
polytheistic to monotheistic (the belief in
only one god), worshipping only the sun
god, Aton.
–  He did this because he felt threatened by the
priests’ power and wealth.
•  When the priests protested against this
change by Amenhotep, he had them
removed from their posts, took their lands
and closed their temples.
•  These changes unsettled Egypt, as many
people rejected the idea of only
worshipping Aton and continued to
worship many deities (gods).
•  Because the army leaders didn’t respect
Amenhotep and his weak rule as pharaoh,
Egypt lost most of its lands in west Asia to
outside invaders.
King Tut
•  When Amenhotep died, his son, Tutankhamen
took power at the age of 10.
•  Because he was so young, he had to rely on
advice from the priests and officials to rule
Egypt.
•  His rule was very short lived, with King
Tutankhamen dying at the age of 19.
•  The reason he is so famous is not because he
was a great leader; it is because when
archeologists found his tomb, it was still intact
with many treasures including a brilliant gold
mask of the young ruler’s face.
King Tut
Recovery and Decline
•  During the 1200s B.C., the next pharaohs worked
very hard to try and restore Egypt’s greatness.
•  The most successful of these was Ramses II who
ruled from 1279 B.C. to 1213 B.C.
–  He conquered the region of Canaan and moved
north into Syria, while also fighting the Hittites;
however, he and the Hittite king eventually signed
a peace treaty.
–  Ramses reigned for 66 years and had one of the
most spectacular temples built, Karnak at
Thebes.
Karnak at Thebes
•  The temple at Karnak
still impresses visitors
today with its huge
columned hall and
poem carved in the
temple celebrating
victory by Ramses.
“Halt! Take courage, charioteer, as a sparrow-hawk swoops down upon his prey, so I
swoop upon the foe, and I will slay, I will hew (sew) them into pieces, I will dash them
into dust.”
Recovery and Decline
•  After Ramses II died, Egypt declined.
•  By 1150 B.C., the Egyptian empire
controlled only the Nile delta.
•  In the 900s B.C., the Libyans took power
over Egypt; soon after, the people of Kush
took over.
•  Finally, in 670 B.C., Egypt was taken over
by the Assyrians from Mesopotamia.
Lesson 4: The Kingdom of Kush
The Kingdom of Kush
•  The history of Kush can be divided into
two distinct phases:
–  The kingdom of Kerma, which lasted from
around 2500 to 1500 BC
–  The kingdom of Kush, based around the cities
of Napata and Meroe, from the 9th century BC
to the 4th century AD.
The Rise of Kerma
•  Unlike the Egyptians, the Nubians (those
living south of Egypt), did not rely on the
Nile floods to create fertile soil.
•  Their land had fertile soil year-round due
to rainfall throughout the year.
•  The Nubians also hunted for food and
excelled at using bow and arrows.
•  Eventually, the stronger Nubian villages
took over the weaker ones and formed the
kingdom of Kerma.
The Rise of Kerma
•  The Kingdom of Kerma grew wealthy due
to agriculture and the mining of gold.
–  From Kerma, the Egyptians acquired cattle,
gold, incense, ivory, giraffes, leopards, and
slaves.
–  This eventually helped Karma become an
important trade link between Egypt and
southern Africa.
–  Egypt also hired Nubians (people from
Kerma) to fight in their army because of their
skills in warfare.
Egyptian Invasion
•  Egyptian armies invaded Nubia around
1400s B.C. and ruled over it for the next
700 years.
•  As a result, the Nubians adopted many of
Egypt’s customs and culture including:
–  Hieroglyphics
–  Copper and bronze tools
–  Worshipping of many gods and goddesses
–  Created an alphabet
The Kushite Kingdom
•  When Egypt was weak during its Middle
Kingdom, Nubia was able to break free
and start its own kingdom known as Kush,
with a capital located at Napata.
•  Egypt continued to trade with Kush for
items they could not make, making Kush
and its traders very wealthy.
Kush Conquers Egypt
•  Around 750 B.C., Kush became powerful
enough to challenge Egypt, with their king
Kashta leading the invasion.
•  After he died, his son Piye completed the
take over and began the dynasty that ruled
over Egypt for about 60 years.
•  During this time, Kush continued to admire
Egyptian culture.
–  Some, however, adopted cultures and styles
more similar to those of southern Africa.
•  i.e. ankle and ear jewelry
Using Iron
•  After about 60 years of ruling Egypt, the
Kush empire was driven out by the
Assyrians who took over Egypt using iron
weapons that the people of Kush couldn’t
win against with their bronze weapons.
•  Despite their defeat, the Kushites learned
how to make iron weapons and tools from
the Assyrians.
–  Boosted military strength and were able to
grow more crops.
The Capital of Meroe
•  Around 540 B.C., Kush’s rulers moved their capital
to the city of Meroe, near one of the Nile’s cataracts,
making them safer against the Assyrian’s attacks.
•  Large deposits of iron ore and trees made Meroe a
major trading center for iron production as well as a
busy trading city.
•  Meroe was modeled after Egypt’s great cities with a
temple at the end of a long avenue line with
sculptures of rams.
•  Walls in palaces and houses were decorated with
paintings.
•  They even built small pyramids as a royal graveyard.
A Trading Center
•  Kush traded luxurious items with countries as far
away as Arabia, India, China and Rome.
–  In return, they brought back cotton, textiles,
and other goods.
–  They used their wealth to build grand houses
and public baths like the ones in Rome.
•  Kush remained a great trading kingdom for
almost 600 years until Axum emerged
near the Red Sea.
•  Around A.D. 350, the armies of Axum
invaded Kush and destroyed Meroe.