tour 2 of 14
Sudan Past and Present: Early cultures to the Arrival of Christianity
Early cultures
Our knowledge of Sudan in ancient times is
almost totally confined to the northern third of the country. This
area was part of Nubia, which stretched along the Nile valley from
Aswan, Egypt to Khartoum, Sudan. There is evidence of human
habitation in Nubia from around 300,000 years ago. These earliest
people had a nomadic existence and the first settled societies
appeared much later, between 7000 and 6000
BC.
After 3700 BC a
distinctive farming culture known as the A-Group developed in
Nubia, just south of the Egyptian border. Their craftsmen produced
body ornaments and pottery and they traded goods such as gold and
ivory with their Egyptian neighbours. The culture died out around
2800 BC and the area was resettled by the C-Group around 2300 BC,
many of whom probably moved in from the Western Desert. At the same
time, further south, a massive metropolis was developing at Kerma.
This and the surrounding region of southern Nubia was referred to
in Egyptian texts as the kingdom of
Kush.
The Egyptians first
ventured into northern Sudan around 3000 BC. Initially they carried
out small-scale trade with resident populations and exploited the
region's rich natural resources. This escalated to
occupation during the Middle Kingdom period (2040-1750 BC) and
massive fortresses were built. Weakened, the Egyptians withdrew
around 1750 BC, but returned with an invading force two hundred
years later. They set up a colonial government headed by a
representative known as the 'Viceroy of Kush'. The
language, culture and dress of the upper strata of the resident
population were strongly influenced by those of their
overlords.
Illustration:
Kerma Classique spouted pot, about 1750-1550
BC.