Nubia (Land of Gold): The Kingdom of Kush (also called Nubia - the Land of Gold) was located on the Nile River, to the south of ancient Egypt.

Nubia was also known as the Land of the Bow because their archers were expert and fierce. The army of archers kept the Nubian people safe. It was important for them to be strong. Many kingdoms wanted to control Nubia. Nubia was a land of natural wealth. They had gold mines, ivory, incense, and iron ore. 

Unlike Egypt, they were not dependent upon the flooding of the Nile for good soil. They enjoyed tropical rainfall all year long.

Daily Life of the Common People: The common people lived in farming villages. Each village had a leader, but their role was suggestive rather than controlling. Each village worked together as a unit for the common good of the village. There was a division of labor. For the common people in ancient Kush, daily life was village life.

There was a place inside each village where the villagers would collect. And, there was a place where many villages collected. When there was a festival, the people in individual villages knew where the festival would be held if they were invited - it would be held at the place where many villages collected.

Daily Life of the Nobles: For many hundred of years, the nobles of ancient Kush thought of themselves as Egyptians. They dressed like Egyptians. Their homes were similar. The kings and nobles lived in riverside palaces. There were sailboats on the Nile. Their daily life was very much like the people they envied - the ancient Egyptians. As in ancient Egypt, many of their leaders were great Queens, not Kings.

When the capital of the Kushite kingdom was moved further south along the Nile, they began to act less like Egyptians and more like other civilizations in South Sahara Africa. Their jewelry changed. They began wearing anklets and ear studs.

Religion: In the beginning, they worshiped the same gods as did the ancient Egyptians, with a few extra throw in like the three-headed Lion God. They mummified their dead. They build pyramids. Kush pyramids looked a little differently - they had flat tops, but they served the same purpose; they were tombs. The people of Kush loved stories from the Bible. Many became Christians because of the Bible stories they heard from passing traders.

Kush - the Iron Capital of the Ancient African World: Although they were two different kingdoms, Egypt and Kush were linked by the Nile River, by a shared past, and by the economics of the day. Kush had something other kingdoms wanted. They had iron. This time in history was known as the Iron Age. From about 1000 BCE to about 1000 CE, iron was critically important. Iron was used to make tools and weapons. Kush was the iron center of ancient Africa. Kush was also one of the major gold producers in the ancient world.

Trade: Trade was very important to Kush. They established flourishing ports on the Red Sea. They tried to work out trade agreements with Egypt that would allow them free access to the Mediterranean via the Nile River. Egyptians depended on Kush for iron, gold, and for exotic goods like incense and ebony. Kush wanted Egyptian manufactured goods, especially their cotton, an export for which Egypt is still famous today.