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Lost Kingdoms of Africa

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Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of Africa's most important kingdoms

British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms

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Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Series 1

Gus Casely-Hayford

Michael Simkin

Ross Harper

Rachel Bell

Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Series 1: Episode 1: Nubia

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Nubia

Episode 1

Episode 1: Nubia

Series 1

BBC Four - Lost Kingdoms of Africa, Series 1, NubiaSearch BBC

Art historian Gus Casely-Hayford explores the history of the old African kingdom of Nubia.

Art historian Gus Casely-Hayford explores the history of the old African kingdom of Nubia, whose kings once ruled Egypt and which was eventually defeated by its environment.

Four-part series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms.

The African continent is home to nearly a billion people. It has an incredible diversity of communities and cultures, yet we know less of its history than almost anywhere else on earth. 

But that is beginning to change. In the last few decades, researchers and archaeologists have begun to uncover a range of histories as impressive and extraordinary as anywhere else in the world.

The series reveals that Africa's stories are preserved for us in its treasures, statues and ancient buildings - in the culture, art and legends of the people.

The first episode looks at Nubia, in what is now northern Sudan, a kingdom that dominated a vast area of the eastern Sahara for thousands of years. Its people were described as barbarians and mercenaries, and yet Nubia has left us with some of the most spectacular monuments in the world. 

Casely-Hayford traces the origins of this fascinating kingdom back to 10,000 BC. He explores how it developed and what happened to it and its people, discovering that its kings once ruled Ancient Egypt and that it was defeated not by its rivals but by its environment.

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Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's kingdoms

Series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms

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Lost Kingdoms of Africa

Series 1

Episode 1: Nubia

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