Chapter 5 Lesson 1Nubia and Kush

Mr. Bisconti

Vocabulary Words

• Commercial – large scale buying and selling• Raw Material – natural resources that can be

formed into useful products• Import – brought in• Export – sent out• Annex – add on• Independence - freedom

Cataracts Pose a Danger

A. Location of Nubia• 1. Nubia stretched from the Southern

Border of Egypt to the City of Kharton• 2. Here, in 2000BC, the Kush Civilization

began to develop • 3. Egypt and Kush developed similar ideas

and customs• a. The two had political, cultural

and commercial relations

Cataracts Pose a Danger

• Geography of Nubia was much different from Egypt• 1. High cliffs rise straight up along the banks of

the Nile• 2. The Nile does not run smooth through Nubia• a. Large granite boulders block portions of

the river, causing rapids and waterfalls• b. Six large areas of cataracts found along

the southern part of the Nile• 3. Cataracts made travel and trade difficult• a. sailors had to wait for either the water

to rise or pulled their boats over and around them

A Wealth of Resource

• A. Cattle Herders• 1. Many Nubians chose to do this as opposed to farming• 2. Cattle owners were usually the richest and most

powerful people in all of Nubia• a. Most were pastoral nomads who moved their herds

from one place to another with the seasons• b. Only small amount of Nubians were farmers who

stayed in one place

• B. Raw Materials were plentiful• 1. Within Nubia’s rocky lands were many resources• a. copper and gold• b. cliffs of granite and other kinds of rock, used for

construction

A Wealth of Resource

• Nubians used these raw materials to make valuable products

• a. gold was used in jewelry• b. iron was used for tools or weapons• C. Nubian Pottery• 1. Crafted out of clay• 2. Valuable to Nubian farmers for storing

grain, holding water, cooking in, and/or keeping supplies

• 3. Nubian potter was of such fine quality, it was used for trade

Nubian Trade

• A. Location (between northern and southern Africa) made Nubia ideal for trade, as the worked as the go-between for traders

• 1. From the south, Nubians imported:• a. leopard skins, ostrich eggs, feathers,

ivory, ebony, spices, and gold• 2. They the exported these items to the North• B. Nubian gold (which they mined and then purified) was

in high demand• 1. Egyptians used it lavishly to construct

statues and decorations

Nubian Trade• C. Nubian trade flourished as did the economy• 1. Control of the gold trade served to make Nubia rich

and neighbors jealous• D. Conflicts began over trade routes• 1. Egypt realized that they could gain greater wealth if

they controlled Nubia’s trade routes• 2. By 2600BC, Egypt had claimed all trade routes in

Northern Nubia• a. Egyptians also looted Nubia’s rich natural

resources• 3. In about 2000BC, an Egyptian King began to annex

the land on northern Nubia• a. First he conquered the land, then ordered

mud brick forts built near the 2nd cataract• b. Egyptians gained Nubian resources and

soldiers

Freedom and Re-conquest• A. Egyptian control of Nubia did not last long• 1. A powerful kingdom arose in

Southern Nubia and began to drive Egyptians out of Nubian lands

• 2. Ancient Egyptians called this new kingdom Kush

• a. Also called Kerma, for its capital was located near the 3rd cataract in Kerma, Sudan

• 3. By 1650BC, Kushites had gained independence from Egypt

Freedom and Re-conquest

• 4. Kerma became a major site for river and overland tradea. Goods, such as gold, salt, spices, elephant tusks, and

rhinoceros horns brought great wealth to Kerma

• B. Kushites try to retain control with alliance• 1. Kerma Kings gained power as well as wealth• a. They gained control of northern Nubia• 2. Egypt was losing control of their lands to the

Hyskos, who already controlled northern Egypt• 3. Kushite King became an ally to the Hyskos to

protect its land from Egypt

Egypt Regains Power

• 1. Egyptians forced the Hyskos off their land and then destroyed Kush’s capital city of Kerma

• a. Egypt claimed control of much of Nubia• b. Egyptians built cities and temples all over Nubia• c. Under Egyptian rule, many Kushites adopted

Egyptian religious beliefs, writings, customs, and ways of dressing

Summary

• The land of Nubia was rich in natural resources.

• The early Nubians built a strong economy based on trade. Egypt claimed trade routes in northern Nubia and later annexed the land.

• The Kush civilization began when the Nubians began to drive the Egyptians out of Nubia.

• Later, the Egyptians again captured Nubian land.