The first records of the Kingdom of Kush date back to about 2500 BC and the kingdom existed through to about 340 AD

The Kush Kingdom was one of the ancient world's greatest centres for the fabrications of iron, and it was this technology on which it built its greatness, epitomised by the splendour of its capital city Meroe.

This excellent video from National Geographic gives an insight into one of Africa's greatest empires.