Geography

Alternative Names for Nubia

Three terms for ancient Nubia are used in ancient sources; these are Ethiopia, Kush, and recently Sudan

Ethiopia:

In Biblical and Hellenistic sources, the region of Nubia is named Ethiopia and is spelled, in some instances Aethiopia. Contemprary historians misreferenced the land of ancient Ethiopia to the modern Republic of Ethiopia. Recent researches and careful examination of ancient sources indicated the actual location of ancient Ethiopia to be within the political boundries of the modern Republic of Sudan.

Kush:

The Ancient Nubians referred to their land as Kash of which the name Kush has descended. The name Kush, as opposed to Ethiopia, is found in some Biblical sources and sometimes is spelled as Cush.

Nubia:

© Bahr El Jebel Safaris
Papyrus, the main plant that grows in the vegetation mass of the Sudd (Sudan).

It must be noted that there is a distinction between the modern and ancient Nubians. The name Nubia, which is widely used to designate the people of Kush, originated from the Nobatians or Noba. The latter were a Nilo-Saharan people who dominated the Kushite kingdom beginning in the third century CE. Since Nubia was a source of gold to the ancient Egyptians, some historians speculate that the term may have originated from the Egyptian word Nub meaning gold.

Sudan:

The original term Sudd, from which the modern term Sudan is derived, refers to a vast expanse of floating water plants or swamps. The earliest mention of the word Sudd in reference to modern Sudan appear in the writings of Seneca, who recorded an expedition sent by the Roman Emperor Nero to central Sudan. Later in history, Arab writers, unaware of the origin of the word Sudan, interpreted the term as being derived from the Arabic word Soud, meaning Blacks.