Final answer:
The Kingdom of Kush became wealthy and powerful in its early centuries through trade in gold and salt.
Step-by-step explanation:
The two items of trade that helped the Kingdom of Kush become wealthy and powerful in its early centuries were gold and salt.
Gold was a valuable commodity that was traded by a guild of merchants known as the Wangarans. The exact source of their gold supply was not revealed, but it is believed to have originated in the region of today's Ghana and was traded through the trans-Saharan trade routes, eventually reaching the Middle East and Europe.
Salt, on the other hand, was a necessary commodity for preserving food and was almost as valuable as gold. It was mined from the desolate salt mine at Targhaza in the middle of the Saharan desert.