Kushite Dynasty (jan 1, 747 BC – jan 1, 656 BC)

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"an independent kingdom, Kush, rose in power in Nubia, with its capital at Napata. Kush had a rich supply of iron, which it used for weapons, tools, personal adornments, and other products. Researchers in archaeo-metallurgy (the study of ancient metals) are now using advanced technologies that detect magnetic fields and electrical resistance underground to locate and study Kushite iron production centers. The Kushites conquered southern Egypt, and in 727 B.C.E., the Kushite king Piye (r. ca. 747–716 B.C.E.) swept through the Nile Valley to the delta in the north. United once again, Egypt enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity. The Kushite rulers understood themselves to be a new dynasty of pharaohs and were devoted to Egyptian gods such as Amon-Ra. Piye’s son Taharqa (r. 690–664 B.C.E.) launched the biggest building campaign since the New Kingdom, with temples, monuments, and pyramids throughout the Nile Valley."

"Late in Taharqa’s reign, invading Assyrians (see “Assyria’s Long Road to Power”) pushed the Kushites out of Egypt, and the Kushite rulers moved their capital slightly farther up the Nile to Meroë, which was surrounded by iron ore deposits and forests for producing the charcoal needed to smelt iron. Meroë became a center for the production of iron, which the Kushite kings may have controlled. Iron products from Meroë were the best in the world and were traded to much of Africa and across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to India."

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