The Kingdom of Kush (or Cush) was a powerful ancient state that existed (twice) in what is now northern Sudan.
The Second Kingdom, which lasted from 1000 BC until 400 AD, with pyramids resembling the Egyptians, is the better known and studied Kingdom of these two, but it was preceded by an earlier Kingdom from 2000 to 1500 BC as the epicenter of commerce and innovation.
The First Kush Kingdom, also known as Kerma , is one of the oldest African states outside of Egypt. It grew around the settlement of Kerma (right above the third cataract on the Nile, in Upper Nubia). Kerma appeared around 2400 BC (during the Old Kingdom of Egypt), and became the capital of the Kush Kingdom in 2000 BC.
The Kush Kingdom was at its strongest when Egypt was at its weakest.
Kerma-Kush reached its peak between 1750 and 1500 BC — a time known as Classical Kerma. Kush flourished when Egypt was at its weakest, and the last 150 years of the Classical Kerma period coincided with a period of upheaval in Egypt known as the Second Intermediate Period (1650 to 1500 BC). original). During this era, Kush gained access to the gold mines and traded extensively with its northern neighbors, generating considerable wealth and power.
The revival of a unified Egypt with the 18th Dynasty (1550 to 1295 BC) brought this Bronze Age kingdom of Kush to an end. The New Kingdom of Egypt (1550 to 1069 BC) established control as far south as the fourth cataract and created the position of Viceroy of Kush, governing Nubia as a separate region (includes two parts: Wawat and Kush).
Over time, Egyptian control of Nubia declined, and by the 11th century BC, the Viceroys of Kush had become independent kings. During the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt, a new Kushite kingdom emerged, and by 730 BC, Kush had conquered Egypt right to the shores of the Mediterranean. Kushite Pharoah Piye (reigned: circa 752-722 BC) founded the 25th Dynasty in Egypt.
However, conquest and contact with Egypt shaped the Kush culture. This second Kush kingdom erected pyramids, worshiped many Egyptian gods, and referred to its rulers as Pharaohs, although the art and architecture of the Kush retained distinct human characteristics. Nubia. Due to this mix of differences and similarities, some have referred to Kushite’s rule in Egypt as the “Ethiopian Dynasty” , but it did not last. In 671 BC, Egypt was invaded by the Assyrians, and by 654 BC they had driven the Kush back to Nubia.
Kush remained safe behind the desolate landscape of southern Aswan, developing a distinct language and variant architecture. However, it has maintained the pharaonic tradition. Eventually, the capital was moved south from Napata to Meroe, where the new Meroitic Kingdom developed. By AD 100, it declined and was destroyed by Axum in AD 400.