The Early Nubian period (before 2900 BC)
Stone Age tools in this area are up to 100 000 years old and the Nubians made pottery already 8 000 years ago. Thousands of rock drawings were recorded in the Second cataract area.
The Nubian A-Group (3500-2900 BC) flourished in Lower Nubia, mainly through trade with gold, ivory, rare wood, cattle, and slaves. Offerings in women's graves were generally rich. The A-Group disappeared when the first Egyptian kings took control over gold resources and trade routes, 3000-2900 BC.
Middle Nubian period (2300-1500 BC)
The Nubian C-Group, with a pastoral economy and rich graves, dominated Lower Nubia during the whole period. The Egyptians of the Middle Kingdom occupied Lower Nubia where they built strong fortifications.
Nubia was independent during the Second Intermediate period (1674-1553 BC) when three cultures lived side by side in addition to the late C-Group: the Kerma culture ruled by a Nubian king seated at Kerma in the Dongola reach; the Pangrave culture which may be identified with the Medjayu people; a local entity called the Transitional group, forming a continuation into the New Kingdom period.
Nubia during the New Kingdom (1550-1200 BC)
The Egyptian imperial builder Tuthmosis III conquered the Nile valley up to the 4th cataract c. 1430 f Kr. Nubia was governed from Aniba, the province capital, where a viceroy was directly responsible for the pharaoh. The local Nubian population developed a homogeneous culture with a strong Egyptian influence.
One of the largest cemeteries from this period was located at Fadrus near Debeira in Sudanese Nubia, with 680 tombs dating from the 18th Dynasty (1552-1295 BC), excavated by the Scandinavian Joint Expedition
Two Nubian brothers (c. 1470 BC)
Djehutihotep and Amenemhet were brothers, educated in Egypt. They became princes and rulers of Teh-khet (the Debeira region) during the time of Queen Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III. Their parents were Nubians, Runa and Ruiu, and an uncle, Senmose, was a high official in Aswan.
The brothers were buried in rock tombs of Egyptian types in the district of Debeira, to the north of Wadi Halfa. The tomb of Amenemhet (Site Q) was excavated in 1961 by Professor T. Säve-Söderbergh of the Scandinavian Joint Expedition.
The Late Nubian period: Meroitic, X-Group and Christian cultures (0 - 14th cent.)
Meroë became the centre of a large Sudanese kingdom and its culture spread to Lower Nubia 0-350 AD. Two desert tribes, the Blemmyes and the Nobades, had contact with the Romans and are identified with the so-called X-Group (350-550 AD) which in part is a continuation of the Meroitic culture.
Christian kingdoms ruled in Nubia from c. 550. Under pressure from the Arabs who had conquered Egypt in 640, they formed one large kingdom with its capital in Faras. Although the Coptic church is still important, Islam has dominated Nubia and the Nile valley from the 14th century.
Nubian textiles
The funerary remains from Late Nubian tombs excavated by the Scandinavian Joint Expedition include textiles, the majority of Meroitic and X-Group provenance (0-550 AD) and a lesser part of Early Christian date (c. 550-850). The whole collection consists of 6000 fragments or larger parts of textiles, mainly originating from shrouds of simple, woolen cloth. The collection also displays examples of highly developed techniques and interesting decorations.
Another large textile collection of outstanding quality originates from Qasr Ibrim in Egyptian Nubia.
