Chapter 8 Section 1 Outline
I. Ancient African Kingdoms
A. Kush
1. The first of the African civilizations.
2. About 2000 B.C. the Kushites were nomadic cattle herders in present day Sudan.
3. Egyptian armies conquered Kush and it remained part of Egypt for 500 years.
4. Learned and adapted to the Egyptian way of life.
5. Eventually they won their freedom back and set up a capital in Napata.
6. The Kushite king Kashta and his son conquered areas of Egypt and ruled for 60 years. In 600 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the area.
7. The Kushites learned how to smelt iron which improved their farming and weapons.
8. In 540 B.C. their capital was moved to Meroe where they had better trading, transportation, and resources for iron-smelting.
9. The Kushite civilization began to decline and a new civilization sprang forth.
B. Aksum
1. They were also a trading country.
2. They were the middlemen in trading between those from the Mediterranean Sea and the Far East.
3. This civilization was converted to Christianity in 324 A.D.
4. Many achievements were accomplished such as:a.
A writing system
b. Farming on terraces
c. Minted gold coins
d. Built stone monuments
5. Aksum’s civilization began to decline due to other kingdoms interfering.
6. When Arab armies began to sweep across the land the Aksumites swept backwards. They lived in isolation there for 1,000 years.