Decline+of+Kush+Essay

__Essay__

Throughout history many masterpieces have been created. Many of them have borrowed from other works of art or pieces of history. Overtime historical details of how they came to be may have been forgotten but their legacy remains. Our world today has borrowed from many civilizations from the past, even when those civilizations have been forgotten. For instance, the Ancient African Kingdom of Kush was a masterpiece within itself. It adopted many Egyptian traditions and modified them to fit their own African way of life. With this in mind, __it’s okay to take on the traditions of other countries/civilizations, as long as you maintain your own identity.__ It is important for a nation to remember that it is okay to borrow the customs of other nations, as long as their own identity is maintained. This is true not only in Kush but in other nations as well. The Ancient African Kingdom of Kush’s culture was similar to that of the Egyptians, despite being an African civilization. Kush successfully adopted many of Egypt’s ways while remaining distinctly different, though less known (Service, p.1-72). An example of another two civilizations that were similar was Ancient Rome and Greece. In today’s world we are still borrowing from other cultures while keeping separate identities. Without knowing much about the countries Canada and America the two seem very similar (http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/simdiff.htm). They are both big, have large populations (US larger), and are near each other on the map. While they are similar they both have distinct characteristics and are both successful, much like Kush.

Countries that can learn from Kush’s success and mistakes, and use the information to fit their own countries needs. Kush was a prosperous land. It was very rich in natural resources such as gold, ivory and iron. Iron was in high demand at the time and Kush had it (http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientEgyptNearEastUnit/PDFs/KushHistoryArticle.pdf ). Many countries, including Egypt, depended on Kush for goods. When iron was high in demand (wood needs to be burned to make iron), Kush burned down too many trees. The trees could not grow fast enough, the land started to lose fertility, and iron could not be made fast enough. Trade was very important to Kush, whenever their supply weakened so did their land and civilization (http://www.africa.mrdonn.org/kush.html). Kush was very successful because of trade. Countries that are rich in natural resources like Canada can, and should, learn from Kush and take care of their resources while they have them.

Kush was an important civilization, though it is not very well known. It still is affecting the lives of people that are living today. Many of the customs of the ancient Kushites are still used by people living in Africa today. In the times of ancient Kush, people didn’t know that much about it. People did not go there very often, so the land itself seemed mysterious. Today people still do not know much about it. The Kushite language still cannot be deciphered, so whatever they have written remains a mystery to us (Service, p.1-70). It would be unlikely for many counties today to be forgotten, especially large ones like Canada. This is because of all the information there is today and the numerous and easy ways to access it.

It is important to remember that it is okay to take on other countries customs as long as their own identity is maintained. The people of Kush successfully did it, as do many countries today. Any country can learn from Kush’s mistakes and its success. Just because a people isn’t well remembered does not erase their importance or their lessons.

Back Home