<P> Kushite civilization continued for several centuries . In the Napatan Period Egyptian hieroglyphs were used: at this time writing seems to have been restricted to the court and temples . From the 2nd century BC there was a separate Meroitic writing system . This was an alphabetic script with 23 signs used in a hieroglyphic form (mainly on monumental art) and in a cursive form . The latter was widely used; so far some 1278 texts using this version are known (Leclant 2000). The script was deciphered by Griffith, but the language behind it is still a problem, with only a few words understood by modern scholars . It is not as yet possible to connect the Meroitic language with other known languages . </P> <P> Strabo describes a war with the Romans in the 1st century BC . After the initial victories of Kandake (or "Candace") Amanirenas against Roman Egypt, the Kushites were defeated and Napata sacked . Remarkably, the destruction of the capital of Napata was not a crippling blow to the Kushites and did not frighten Candace enough to prevent her from again engaging in combat with the Roman military . Indeed, it seems that Petronius's attack might have had a revitalizing influence on the kingdom . Just three years later, in 22 BC, a large Kushite force moved northward with intention of attacking Qasr Ibrim . </P> <P> Alerted to the advance, Petronius again marched south and managed to reach Qasr Ibrim and bolster its defences before the invading Kushites arrived . Although the ancient sources give no description of the ensuing battle, we know that at some point the Kushites sent ambassadors to negotiate a peace settlement with Petronius . By the end of the second campaign, however, Petronius was in no mood to deal further with the Kushites . The Kushites succeeded in negotiating a peace treaty on favourable terms and trade between the two nations increased . Some historians like Theodore Mommsen wrote that during Augustus times Nubia was a possible client state of the Roman Empire . </P> <P> It is possible that the Roman emperor Nero planned another attempt to conquer Kush before his death in AD 68 . Kush began to fade as a power by the 1st or 2nd century AD, sapped by the war with the Roman province of Egypt and the decline of its traditional industries . Christianity began to gain over the old pharaonic religion and by the mid-sixth century AD the Kingdom of Kush was dissolved . </P>

Who did the kingdom of kush trade with