A late dynasty of Ancient Egypt that ruled for 100 years beginning in 744 B.C was led by pharaohs including Piye, Shabaqo, and Taharqa, who won battles, powered the last great pyramid building boom, and gave the Egyptian empire its final golden age. Many scholars believed that these powerful pharaohs were black, but outdated stereotyping dismissed the idea as myth. In recent years, new evidence has shown that the 25th dynasty was indeed ruled by these great black pharaohs who were conquerors from Egypt’s southern neighbor Nubia, now Sudan. The latest research on the Kush Empire from leading archaeologists is revealed in a new two-hour Science Channel special, LOST KINGDOM OF THE BLACK PHARAOHS, premiering Sunday, December 1 at 8pm.

For most of the last century research on ancient Nubia had been limited, but in the last few years, as war in Sudan died down, there has been an explosion of exploration there with more than 30 teams of archaeologists working along the Sudanese Nile. Large scale excavations are taking place that are uncovering new evidence that Nubia was a great civilization equal to that of Egypt’s. LOST KINGDOM OF THE BLACK PHARAOHS tells this incredible story of the Kush Empire’s 100-year reign over Egypt while also going back further to detail the overall history of Nubia.

“This is unique and special program with rare and privileged access, that sets out to right a wrong perpetrated by early archeologists who refused to see or acknowledge the contributions of the black pharaohs to the glory of ancient Egypt,” said Neil Laird, Executive Producer, Science Channel.

LOST KINGDOM OF THE BLACK PHARAOHS follows research teams that include Geoff Emberling of the University of Michigan and Pearce Paul Creasman of the University of Arizona, who are unearthing a lost fortified city, opening newly discovered pyramids, and extracting DNA from the ancient dead, to show how this African culture, home to fabulous wealth, monumental architecture, and a rich culture, all led by a black dynasty, should now be given its place alongside the great revered ancient civilizations.

LOST KINGDOM OF THE BLACK PHARAOHS is produced by Alleycats Films for Science Channel. The producer/director is David Starkey and executive producers are Emma Parkins and Ed Stobart. Neil Laird serves as Executive Producer for Science Channel.