Culture and Kingdoms of West Africa

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Slide 9

Nubia

Slide 10

Nubia was a great civilization that developed along the Nile River south of Egypt. They shared many of the same cultural traits as Egypt such as religion, architecture and art.

Slide 11

These are the pyramid of Ancient Nubia. They were used as tombs. Although they are similar to those of Ancient Egypt, they have some differences. Compare these pyramids with those of ancient Egypt.

Slide 12

As you look at the following pictures, think of these questions: What are the pyramids made of? How many sides are there? How large are they? (Notice person next to middle one.)

Nubian Pyramids

Slide 13

Are large blocks used or smaller bricks? Is there an entrance leading up to the pyramid?

Nubian Pyramids

Slide 14

Nubian Pyramids

Slide 15

These are the pyramids of Egypt. Compare them to those of Nubia.

Slide 16

This is one of the biggest pyramids in Egypt. The pyramid of Khufu. The Egyptian pyramids were much larger than those of Nubia, but there were many more pyramids in Nubia than in Egypt.

Slide 17

Notice the people at the base of this Egyptian pyramid. This helps to show the size of the pyramid.

Slide 18

Nubian Pyramids

Egyptian Pyramids

same

different

different

Smaller

Steeper

Triangular

Tombs

Large

Big blocks

Slide 19

The Land of Nubia

For many centuries, the people and culture of Ancient Nubia were a mystery to the world. Even the Ancient Greeks wrote about an advanced culture that was mostly unknown to other civilizations of the time.

Slide 20

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K

W

T

N

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One reason little was known about the culture was that they did not write down their history until late in ancient times. Another reason is that they were isolated geographically. Outside people would need to cross harsh desert or many waterfalls, called cataracts, to reach Nubia.