Why did the Kingdom of Kush eventually decline?
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Correct answer: Environmental degradation and shifting trade routes
The Kingdom of Kush declined gradually due to deforestation from intensive iron smelting, which degraded the surrounding environment, combined with shifts in long-distance trade routes that bypassed Meroë. The rise of the Aksumite kingdom also pressured Kush from the east until its final fall around 350 CE.
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