Ancient Egypt and Kush: Pharaohs, Cities, and Regions

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing notable Egyptian and Kushite pharaohs, rulers, capitals, and surrounding ancient geographical regions.

Tutankhamun

An Egyptian pharaoh mentioned via a statue from his tomb.

Snefru

A pharaoh of the Old Kingdom who promoted trade on the eastern Mediterranean Sea and boosted trade in the Nile Valley.

Khufu

The pharaoh for whom the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.

Khafre

Khufu's son, for whom the second enormous pyramid at Giza was built.

Menkaure

Khufu's grandson, for whom the third pyramid at Giza was built.

Ramses II

A pharaoh after whose rule Egypt weakened and the New Kingdom ended.

Thutmose III

A pharaoh who received hundreds of pounds of gold, cattle, ivory, ostrich feathers, and enslaved people as tribute from Kush.

Piye (also spelled Piankhi)

A Kushite king who conquered Thebes, expanded the Kushite empire by conquering one Egyptian city after another, and eventually declared himself pharaoh of a united Egypt and Kush.

Egypt

A civilization divided into Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt; the ancient Greeks added leap years when they ruled it.

Kush (also known as Nubia)

The land south of Egypt, farther up the Nile River, which the Egyptians called Kush and which extends from present-day southern Egypt into northern Sudan.

Thebes

An Egyptian city conquered by the Kushite king Piye.

Napata

The initial capital of Kush, located near iron deposits, which was destroyed by the Egyptians in 591 BCE.

Meroë

A city to which the Kushites moved their capital south from Napata because it was easier to defend and located near iron deposits and trade routes; it became Kush's first ironworking center.

Axum

A kingdom centered in the present-day country of Ethiopia that eventually conquered Kush in the 300s CE.

Giza

The location where three enormous pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom for Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.

Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Phoenicia

Neighboring lands and trading regions in the Middle East connected through trade routes with Egypt and Kush.