N A B T A P L A Y A
Nabta Playa was once a large basin in the Nubian Desert, located approximately 500 miles south of modern day Cairo or about 100 kilometers west of Abu Simbel of southern Egypt, 22° 32' north, 30° 42' east.
Today the region is characterized by numerous archaeological sites.
Beginning around the 10th millennium BC, this region of the Nubian Desert began to receive more rainfall, filling a lake. Early people may have been attracted to the region as a source of water for grazing cattle.
Archaeological findings indicate occupation in the region dating to somewhere between the 10th and 8th millennia BC. These peoples were herding domesticated cattle and using ceramics[2] adorned by complicated painted patterns created perhaps by using combs.
By the 7th millennium BC, exceedingly large and organized settlements may be found in the region, relying also on deep wells for sources of water. Huts are found constructed in straight rows. Sustenance included fruit, legumes, millets, sorghum and tubers.
Also in the 7th millennium BC, but a little later than above, imported goats and sheep, apparently from Southwest Asia, appear. Many large hearths also appear.
Archaeological discoveries reveal that these prehistoric peoples led livelihoods seemingly at a higher level of organization than their contemporaries who lived closer to the Nile Valley:
above-ground & below-ground stone construction,
villages designed in pre-planned arrangements, and
deep wells that held water year-round.
Findings also indicate that the region was occupied only seasonally, likely only in the summer when the local lake filled with water for grazing cattle.
Analysis of human remains suggest migration from sub-Saharan Africa.