First published in 1926, Drusilla Dunjee Houston (a self-taught historian), describes the origin of civilization and establishes links among the ancient Black populations in Arabia, Persia, Babylonia, and India. In each case she concludes that the ancient Blacks who inhabited these areas were all culturally related.

First published in 1926, Drusilla Dunjee Houston (a self-taught historian), describes the origin of civilization and establishes links among the ancient Black populations in Arabia, Persia, Babylonia, and India. In each case she concludes that the ancient Blacks who inhabited these areas were all culturally related.

This professional reprint of the classic book was re-mastered to include charts relating to the dynasties of ancient Egypt, Up to date pictures of Kushite artifacts from museums around the world, as well as a list of the most prominent Cushite/ Kushite Pharoahs. The Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire, was the last dynasty of the Third Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt. A map is included of their Nubian kingdom. The 25th dynasty was a line of rulers originating in the Nubian Kingdom of Kush and most saw Napata as their spiritual homeland. They reigned in part or all of Ancient Egypt from 760 BC to 656 BC. The dynasty began with Kashta's invasion of Upper Egypt and culminated in several years of unsuccessful war with the Mesopotamian based Assyrian Empire which was to result in the destruction of the Kushite Empire, the ejecting of the Nubians and conquest of Egypt by Assyria. The 25th's reunification of Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, and also Kush (Nubia) created the largest Egyptian empire since the New Kingdom. They ushered in an age of renaissance by reaffirming Ancient Egyptian religious traditions, temples, and artistic forms, while introducing some unique aspects of Kushite culture. It was during the 25th dynasty that the Nile valley saw the first widespread construction of pyramids (many in modern Sudan) since the Middle Kingdom. After the Assyrian kings Sargon II and Sennacherib defeated attempts by the Nubian kings to gain a foothold in the Near East, their successors Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal invaded Egypt and defeated and drove out the Nubians. They were succeeded by the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt, initially a puppet dynasty installed by and vassals of the Assyrians, the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before the Persian conquest.

This is a pioneering, long-lost, work of Afrocentric history. Drusilla Dunjee Houston, (1876-1941) was a teacher, journalist and self-taught historian. Inspired by W.E.B. DuBois' The Negro, Houston undertook a life-long quest to discover African history from an African-American perspective. Today it is clear that conventional historians' fixation on 'Dead White Men' misses huge parts of the historical picture. Africa had several advanced civilizations in antiquity which flourished at the same time as the better known European and Asian ones. However, at the time that Houston wrote, history was viewed through a Eurocentric perspective and any mention of advanced African cultures was considered on a par with Atlantis.

The Kingdom of Kush was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, centered along the Nile Valley in what is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt. The region of Nubia was an early cradle of civilization, producing several complex societies that engaged in trade and industry. The city-state of Kerma emerged as the dominant political force between 2450 and 1450 BC, controlling the Nile Valley between the first and fourth cataracts, an area as large as Egypt.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Classic history of Ancient Ethiopia, as researched and written by a heralded African American woman activist.

Writer, activist, and indefatigable community leader in the American West, Drusilla Dunjee Houston (1876-1941) offers a remarkable, well-researched study of the origins of African American culture. First published in a very limited edition in 1926, Wonderful Ethiopians of the Cushite Empire features an extraordinarily rare, early study by an African American women of the roots of her people. Focusing on the origins of the matrilineal line in African culture, Houston offers a readable and meticulously researched window on a world long ago.

Peggy Brooks-Bertram is cofounder of the Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research and Education on Women, Inc. at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

Wonderful Ethiopians Of The Ancient Cushite Empire has stood the test of time. In this masterpiece Drusilla Dunjee Houston historicizes the experience of the creators of human civilization - she refers to them as the Wonderful Ethiopians. These human ancestors established a high culture that emerged in Ethiopia and spread in all directions. Dunjee states: The wonders of India, to which Europe sought a passage in the age of Columbus, the costly products and coveted merchandise of Babylon, and the amazing prehistoric civilization of Asian Minor, sprang from this little recognized source. Houston's masterful blending of primary and secondary sources, combined with her eloquent prose, renders this book a literary masterpiece. Drusilla Dunjee Houston (1876 - 1941) was born in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Her father (Reverend Dunjee) was a prominent Baptist preacher and a major figure in the black community. With his influence and connections to people like Frederick Douglass, Houston was never lacking in the acquisition of knowledge and the awareness of issues relevant to the black community. Acknowledging the inadequate public education available for young black girls in McAlester, Oklahoma, Houston opened her own school, the McAlester Seminary for Girls. Houston took it upon herself to correct the wrongly held assumptions about black people's part in human history. She responded by writing her major work Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cushite Empire - originally published in 1926.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.