The Role That Kush Plays

The Egyptians were not the only people in that desert land area. There were also people called the Nubians, which joined together to form a civilization. In the early time of the Nubians, Egypt conquered them and reigned for 700 years. The Nubians learned many Egyptian cultures over the years. 

Over time, the Nubians formed their own kingdom. They later rose to power and fought Egypt. The Egyptians were taken over by Kush. The Egyptians were very resourceful throughout time. 

Egypt's Kingdom

Egypt had many amazing structures built, such as pyramids. These were triangle shaped shelters that served as tombs for the dead pharaohs. A pharaoh was the Egyptian ruler. Pharaoh basically meant "king." The type of government was a theocracy. This means that the pharaoh was both a religious and political leader. The Egyptians also had gods, which they honored with sacrifices. A pharaoh was considered a god as well. After a pharaoh died, his body would be embalmed. or preserved, and then would be stored in a pyramid full of their belongings. The Egyptian's most worshiped God was Ra, the sun god. Some famous pharaohs were Tutankhamun (King Tut), Ramses II, and Hatshepsut. 
King Tut died at a young age, but still had many contributions. Ramses II was well known because he was very successful in every one of his actions. He was successful in conquering the land of Canaan, and other lands. Hatshepsut was famous because she was one of the most successful female pharaohs.

The Land of Egypt

Apart from the Nile River, the rest of the land of Egypt was very dry. But, since there was no rain, the only supply of water was the river. Many physical features protected Egypt. The main feature that protected Egypt was the desert. There were cataracts which protected Egypt from attacking ships. Cataracts are strong rapids that blew the attacking ships away. The desert isolated Egypt from other civilizations.
The Egyptians planted wheat, barley, and flax seeds. During the drier times, the Egyptians irrigated their crops. They dug canals, so the water could flow through the crops. Over time, the Egyptians invented something called a shadoof. This was a bucket attached to a pole, which is used to carry water from the Nile, and empty it into the basins. The Egyptians also used a reed plant called papyrus. They used this to make paper. 

Papyrus

Shadoof

Basic Facts About Ancient Egypt

After Mesopotamia fell, 2 more civilizations formed along the Nile River. One was called Egypt, and the other was called Kush. Both civilizations influenced each other. The Nile river was an easy place for civilization because of the fertile land surrounding it.

A view of the Nile River

People from other dry areas started to move to the Nile. These people settled there and became the earliest Egyptians. The early Egyptians lived in an upper area of the Nile that they called Kemet, meaning "black land." They named this after the dark soil that was in that area. Many people are familiar with Egypt, and when they hear "Egypt", most of the time they will think of pyramids, or the Sphinx. But, that's not all there is to it. There are many geographical features in Egypt, also. 

About This Blog

Hello. It's Nick Ebanks here, and I'm excited to share with you  my new blog on ancient Egypt and Kush. Anyone is welcome to post any factual information or questions on the blog. This blog is about Ancient Egypt and Ancient Kush. 

The Great Sphinx in Ancient Egypt