35th century BCE – 31st century BCE
Nile Valley and adjacent steppeland around Khartoum
The Khartoum Neolithic culture was a prehistoric Nile Valley tradition whose type-site was Esh-Shaheinab north of Omdurman. It provides the earliest direct evidence in the passage for food production in prehistoric Nubia, alongside fishing, hunting, woodworking, and continued exploitation of river resources. Its pottery developed from the Khartoum Mesolithic tradition, while sheep, goats, and possibly domesticated cereals indicate contacts or economic changes connected with the wider Nile Valley.
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The Story
The Khartoum Neolithic culture is identified as the earliest direct evidence of food production in the prehistoric Nubian sequence discussed here. Its type-site, Esh-Shaheinab, lay on the west bank of the Nile about forty-eight kilometres north of Omdurman. The culture appears to have been confined to the Nile Valley and the adjacent steppeland rather than extending across a broad territory.
Esh-Shaheinab pottery was burnished and decorated with shallow punctate patterns, showing clear development from Khartoum Mesolithic pottery. Stone celts suggest a stronger emphasis on woodworking, while bone harpoons, fish-hooks, and mussels point to continued or increased use of riverine resources. Hunting remained significant, including the pursuit of a wide range of animals such as giraffe.
The site contained no direct evidence of agriculture, but sheep and goat bones made up two percent of the animal remains. The passage relates these animals, together with a form of black-topped pottery, to developments spreading south from Egypt and being adopted locally. Impressions of domesticated cereals, including sorghum and millets, were later reported on pottery from Kadero, adding evidence for food production in the broader cultural horizon.
35th century BCE – 31st century BCE
Nile Valley and adjacent steppeland around Khartoum
The Khartoum Neolithic culture was a prehistoric Nile Valley tradition whose type-site was Esh-Shaheinab north of Omdurman. It provides the earliest direct evidence in the passage for food production in prehistoric Nubia, alongside fishing, hunting, woodworking, and continued exploitation of river resources. Its pottery developed from the Khartoum Mesolithic tradition, while sheep, goats, and possibly domesticated cereals indicate contacts or economic changes connected with the wider Nile Valley.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Khartoum Neolithic culture is identified as the earliest direct evidence of food production in the prehistoric Nubian sequence discussed here. Its type-site, Esh-Shaheinab, lay on the west bank of the Nile about forty-eight kilometres north of Omdurman. The culture appears to have been confined to the Nile Valley and the adjacent steppeland rather than extending across a broad territory.
Esh-Shaheinab pottery was burnished and decorated with shallow punctate patterns, showing clear development from Khartoum Mesolithic pottery. Stone celts suggest a stronger emphasis on woodworking, while bone harpoons, fish-hooks, and mussels point to continued or increased use of riverine resources. Hunting remained significant, including the pursuit of a wide range of animals such as giraffe.
The site contained no direct evidence of agriculture, but sheep and goat bones made up two percent of the animal remains. The passage relates these animals, together with a form of black-topped pottery, to developments spreading south from Egypt and being adopted locally. Impressions of domesticated cereals, including sorghum and millets, were later reported on pottery from Kadero, adding evidence for food production in the broader cultural horizon.
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