Definition
Nubia was a civilization that developed along the Nile River south of Egypt, in the region of present-day southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Its most powerful state was the kingdom of Kush, which at times rivaled and even ruled Egypt itself.
Nubia is sometimes overshadowed by its famous northern neighbor, but it was an old, wealthy, and sophisticated society in its own right. It controlled valuable trade routes carrying gold, ivory, ebony, and other goods between the African interior and the Mediterranean world.
Why it matters
How it works
Like Egypt, Nubia depended on the Nile, whose floods watered its fields and whose course carried its trade. Nubian and Egyptian history were deeply entangled: the two civilizations traded, intermarried, fought, and conquered one another across many centuries.
When Egypt weakened, the kings of Kush moved north and ruled the whole Nile valley as pharaohs. After being pushed back south, Kush flourished again from cities such as Napata and Meroë, where Nubian rulers built pyramids and forged a distinct culture that lasted for centuries.