Ancient Kingdom of Kush

Nubia (Land of Gold): The Kingdom of Kush (also called Nubia - the Land of Gold) was located on the Nile River, to the south of ancient Egypt. Nubia was known as the Land of the Bow because their archers were expert and fierce. The army of archers kept the Nubian people safe. It was important for them to be strong. Many kingdoms wanted to control Nubia. Nubia was a land of natural wealth. They had gold mines, ivory, incense, and iron ore. Unlike Egypt, in Nubia, they were not dependent upon the flooding of the Nile for good soil to grow crops and long growing seasons. They enjoyed tropical rainfall all year long.

Daily Life of the Common People: The common people lived in farming villages. Each village had a leader, but their role was suggestive rather than controlling. Each village worked together as a unit for the common good of the village. There was a division of labor. For the common people in ancient Kush, daily life was village life.

There was a place inside each village where the villagers would collect. And, there was a place where many villages collected. When there was a festival, the people in individual villages knew where the festival would be held if they were invited - it would be held at the place where many villages collected.

Daily Life of the Nobles: For many hundred of years, the nobles of ancient Kush thought of themselves as Egyptians. They dressed like Egyptians. Their homes were similar. The kings and nobles lived in riverside palaces. There were sailboats on the Nile. Their daily life was very much like the people they envied - the ancient Egyptians. As in ancient Egypt, many of their leaders were great Queens, not Kings.

When the capital of the Kushite kingdom was moved further south along the Nile, they began to act less like Egyptians and more like other civilizations in South Sahara Africa. Their jewelry changed. They began wearing anklets and ear studs.

Religion: In the beginning, they worshiped the same gods as did the ancient Egyptians, with a few extra throw in like the three-headed Lion God. They mummified their dead. They build pyramids. Kush pyramids looked a little differently - they had flat tops, but they served the same purpose; they were tombs. The people of Kush loved stories from the Bible. Many became Christians because of the Bible stories they heard from passing traders.

Kush - the Iron Capital of the Ancient African World: Although they were two different kingdoms, Egypt and Kush were linked by the Nile River, by a shared past, and by the economics of the day. Kush had something other kingdoms wanted. They had iron. This time in history was known as the Iron Age. From about 1000 BCE to about 1000 CE, iron was critically important. Iron was used to make tools and weapons. Kush was the iron center of ancient Africa. Kush was also one of the major gold producers in the ancient world.

Trade: Trade was very important to Kush. They established flourishing ports on the Red Sea. They tried to work out trade agreements with Egypt that would allow them free access to the Mediterranean via the Nile River. Egyptians depended on Kush for iron, gold, and for exotic goods like incense and ebony. Kush wanted Egyptian manufactured goods, especially their cotton, an export for which Egypt is still famous today.

Supply and Demand: As the demand for iron grew, Kush ran into a problem. To make iron, they needed to wood to burn. They had wood, lots of wood. But they burned so much wood in the process of making iron, and they used up supplies so fast, that the forests could not keep up. Trees did not grow fast enough to replace those than had been chopped down for firewood. This led to deforestation. The land began to lose its fertility. Without as much wood to burn, Kush could not produce as much iron as they had in the past, yet demand for iron was growing. Traders began to look elsewhere for iron. As trade dwindled, the country began to weaken.

Kush looked around for new avenues of trade. They had incense. They had ivory. Certainly someone would want these wonderful products. The leaders of Kush began to turn their eyes towards the vast Sahara Desert. What it possible? Could they develop a trade route to the far away kings of which they had great things?

The Sahara Desert (Sea of Sand): These early people had no idea what they were facing. The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world. It is called the Sea of Sand because it goes forever. The Sahara Desert is about the same size as the United States. Can you imagine a desert that spreads from New York to California, from Maine to Mexico. There are oasis in the desert. But because the Sahara is so big, it might take a week to travel from one oasis to the next.

Camels (Ships of the Desert): Around 750 CE, everything changed when Islamic traders began to use camels to transports goods across the desert. The use of camels made it possible to get from Kush to West Africa, to literally get from here to there. Camels were the perfect answer. Camels can carry heavy loads. They can keep their footing in sliding sand. They can go a long time without water. If treated well, they're patient beasts. On flat ground, they can run very fast. In fact, they run so fast that if you stopped at an oasis, you find a camel race in progress. Every trader knew his camels were the best! Camels soon were nicknamed the "Ships of the Desert".

The Trans-Sahara Trade Route: Caravans of camels were loaded with trade goods. They carried many wonderful products including spices from India and iron tools and weapons from Kush. The day the first caravan of camels headed west into the Sahara Desert was the day that marked the opening of the Trans-Sahara Trade Route.

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