Bronze Age
Kingdom of Kush / Nubia
2500 BC – 350 AD · peak 1500 BC
The Kingdom of Kush (c. 1070 BC–AD 350) was a powerful Nubian state located at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers. It shared cultural features with Egypt, including pyramid construction at Napata and Meroë, and even ruled Egypt as the 25th Dynasty. The kingdom eventually weakened due to Roman trade shifts and raids, finally falling to the Kingdom of Aksum.
Capital: Kerma
Key figures
Battles in this period
Trade routes in use
- Amber Road (1500 BC – 500 AD)
- Incense Route (1000 BC – 400 AD)
- Persian Royal Road (500 BC – 300 BC)
- Phoenician Mediterranean Routes (1100 BC – 300 BC)
- Alexandria–Rome Grain Route (30 BC – 400 AD)
- Silk Road (130 BC – 1450 AD)