Chapter 5 Lesson 1
Nubia 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
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1. Nubia stretched from the Southern
Border of Egypt to the City of Kharton
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2. Here, in 2000BC, the Kush Civilization began
to develop
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3. Egypt and Kush developed similar ideas and
customs
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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
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2. The Nile does not run smooth through Nubia
•
a. Large granite boulders block portions of
the river, causing rapids and waterfalls
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b. Six large areas of cataracts found along
the southern part of the Nile
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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
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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
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a. gold was used in jewelry
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b. iron was used for tools or weapons
• C. Nubian Pottery
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1. Crafted out of clay
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2. Valuable to Nubian farmers for storing
grain, holding water, cooking in, and/or
keeping supplies
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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 gobetween for traders
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1. From the south, Nubians imported:
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a. leopard skins, ostrich eggs, feathers,
ivory, ebony, spices, and gold
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2. They the exported these items to the North
• B. Nubian gold (which they mined and then purified) was
in high demand
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1. Egyptians used it lavishly to construct
statues and decorations
Nubian Trade
• C. Nubian trade flourished as did the economy
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1. Control of the gold trade served to make Nubia rich
and neighbors jealous
• D. Conflicts began over trade routes
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1. Egypt realized that they could gain greater wealth if
they controlled Nubia’s trade routes
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2. By 2600BC, Egypt had claimed all trade routes in
Northern Nubia
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a. Egyptians also looted Nubia’s rich natural
resources
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3. In about 2000BC, an Egyptian King began to annex
the land on northern Nubia
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a. First he conquered the land, then ordered
mud brick forts built near the 2nd
cataract
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b. Egyptians gained Nubian resources and
soldiers
Freedom and Re-conquest
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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 trade
a. Goods, such as gold, salt, spices, elephant tusks, and
rhinoceros horns brought great wealth to Kerma
• B. Kushites try to retain control with alliance
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1. Kerma Kings gained power as well as wealth
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a. They gained control of northern Nubia
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2. Egypt was losing control of their lands to the
Hyskos, who already controlled
northern Egypt
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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
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a. Egypt claimed control of much of Nubia
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b. Egyptians built cities and temples all over Nubia
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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.