Kush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kingdom of Kush
Kuluš
|
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1070 BC–AD 350 | |||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||
| Capital | Kerma; Napata; later Meroe | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Meroitic, Nubian | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Nubian religion | ||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
| King | |||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
|
• Established
|
1070 BC | ||||||||||||
|
• Capital moved to Napata
|
780 BC | ||||||||||||
|
• Capital moved to Meroe
|
591 BC | ||||||||||||
|
• Disestablished
|
AD 350 | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
|
• Egyptian phase
|
100000 | ||||||||||||
|
• Meroite phase
|
1,150,000 | ||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Today part of |  Egypt Sudan |
||||||||||||
The Kingdom of Kush was an ancient civilization located in Nubia. This area is in what is now northern Sudan. We learned about Kush mainly from the Egyptians, who moved south into this region around 2500 BC.
After the Middle Kingdom of Egypt ended, an independent kingdom of Kush began to grow. Around 1500 BC, the Egyptians moved south again. This time, they faced strong resistance. Historians are not sure if this resistance came from many small city-states or one large empire. The Egyptians eventually won, and the region became a colony of Egypt. It was controlled by the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose I. Kush supplied Egypt with important resources.
In the 11th century BC, Egypt faced problems within its own country. Because of this, its control over Kush weakened and finally ended. An independent kingdom then arose in Nubia, with its capital at Napata. This new kingdom was ruled by local leaders who took power from the Egyptians. Even though they were independent, the people of Kush shared many beliefs and gods with Egypt.
Kush in Ancient Texts
The name "Kush" comes from the Old Testament of the Bible. In the Bible, Cush (Hebrew: כוש) was one of the sons of Ham, who was a son of Noah. He is said to have settled in Northeast Africa.
The Bible mentions Cush several times. For example, Moses' wife, Tzipporah, is described as a Kushite in the book of Numbers. This shows that the people of Kush were known in ancient times.
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Kush (desambiguación) para niños
