The Wonderful Ethiopians & The Ancient Kushite Empire (Forgotten Books)
Author: Drusilla Dunjee Houston
Paperback: 230 pages
First Published: 1926
Publisher: Forgotten Books (10 Dec 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1605060283
ISBN-13: 978-1605060286
Details:Â “This is a pioneering, long-lost, work of Afrocentric history. Drusilla Dunjee Houston 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.
Houston believed the Cushite civilization to be the motherland of humanity. The Cushite civilization did exist, although it was not as ancient as Egypt, and certainly not the origin of all culture. Nevertheless, the Cushites were the earliest known Black African civilization. Reaching its peak between 1750 and 1500 B.C.E., and lasting until the fourth century C.E., the Cushite empire occupied what is now the Sudan, with its capital at Meroe on the Nile. At their high point, Cushites even conquered and ruled ancient Egypt from 750-650 B.C.E. Because of their geographical isolation, they had nowhere near the impact on other parts of the world that Houston attributed them. The Cushites were heavily influenced by the older Egypt culture, rather than the other way around. They left behind fields of hundreds of small steep-angled burial pyramids, the design of which was borrowed from Egypt and scaled down.
Houston wrote three volumes, of which only this one, the first, known as Wonderful Ethiopians, was published. She had no staff, and no formal training in academic procedures. Living in Oklahoma, her access to specialized libraries was limited. One can only wonder what she would have made of Google. Although Houston identifies many of her sources in the body of the text, there are few footnotes or other apparatus that such a bold theory would require for consideration. The writing is vigorous and popularized, which also makes it a difficult sell for historians. The received text of this book could have used a bit of proofing and editing (refer to errata), but given the circumstances under which it was published, this is understandable. The compelling part of this book is that it exists at all. While we debate her theories, one historical fact is fairly clear: Houston left her own mark as a pioneering advocate of the study of Black History.” (Quote from sacred-texts.com)
Table of Contents:
Publisher’s Preface; Preface; The Empire’s Age And Scope.; Old Ethiopia–its People.; Ancient Ethiopia, The Land.; The Amazing Civilization Of Ethiopia.; Prehistoric Egypt, The Land Of Wonders.; Egypt And Her “golden Age.”; Egypt And Her Mighty Pharaohs.; Arabia And Her Ancient Races.; The Marvelous Arabian Civilization.; The Rich Arabian Literature.; The Strange Races Of Chaldea.; Babylonia The Land Of Marvels.; The Civilization Of Babylonia.; The Civilization Of India.; Ancient India The Land Of Mystery.; Hindu Religion And Literature.; Ancient Media And Persia Were Cushite.; Final Word.; Endnotes
About the Publisher:
Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, Esoteric and Mythology. www.forgottenbooks.org
Forgotten Books is about sharing information, not about making money. All books are priced at wholesale prices. We are also the only publisher we know of to print in large sans-serif font, which is proven to make the text easier to read and put less strain on your eyes.