Periods, Cultures, Styles  > Ancient Nubian

Ancient Nubian

Kush is the southern portion of the ancient region known as Nubia. The earliest Nubian state arose sometime around 2400 BCE and was organized around the city of Kerma (in present-day northern Sudan). It seems to have been the Egyptians who first referred to the Nubian city-state of Kerma as “Kush.” Sometimes Kush is used interchangeably with Nubia. The history of Kush is bound up in the history of Egypt, its northern neighbor. It was heavily influenced by Egypt throughout much of its long history. And at one point, during the eighth century B.C.E., a line of Kushite kings even sat on the throne of Egypt (747–656 B.C.E.). Some historians refer to the Kingdom of Kush between c. 760 B.C.–350 C.E. when King Kashta unites Nubia c. 760 B.C. and the kings of Kush rule for centuries and eventually make Meroë—a city at the convergence of a network of trade routes—their capital.