ABSTRACT
As a geopolitical entity, the Sudan with its present borders is a relatively recent nation. Its component parts, however, experienced various degrees of state building and centralized power. The northern region, and particularly Nubia, is comparatively well documented, as the area has long been the focus of archaeological excavations and research. Little, however, is known about the early history of southern and western Sudan. As far as our knowledge goes the northern and central parts of Sudan experienced a fairly continuous history of political formation with a measure of centralized authority from antiquity down to modern times.
