The origin and relationships of the Nubian A-group

"Since the discovery of the A-Group culture in 1907, much emphasis has been given to A-Group relationships with the Egyptian Nile civilizations of Upper Egypt. As a result, very little discussion has been ventured about Sudanese interconnections or Eastern and Western Desert relations for the A-Group. This work compensates for that lack by demonstrating that the A- Group was very much a part of the Saharan and Sudanese traditions as evidenced primarily by the types of impressed and incised decorative motifs in A-Group ceramics. A comparative analysis of ceramic designs throughout the Sudan shows that the Khartoum Neolithic motifs are widely represented amongst the A-Group ceramic repertoire, as they are in those Khartoum-related industries north of the Khartoum region. This situation likely represents a northward diffusion of ceramic traits from the Khartoum area into Lower Nubia through the Dongola Reach. Furthermore, I suggest the possibility of direct southeastern connections for the A-Group with the people of Shaqadud in the Butana, based on the presence of shared pottery designs between Shaqadud and the A-Group that do not appear in the Dongola Reach..."