The culture history of Nubia provides archaeologists with an example of developing sedentary characteristics. The archaeological record has revealed a progressive move of cultures in the area toward sedentary life. Beginning the retrospect in Late Paleolithic era the earliest "culture to be defined in Nubia" was a nomadic tribe, which occupied Lower Nubia as early as 25000 B.C. This culture, named Khormusan, depended on specialized hunting, fishing, and collecting techniques for survival. The material remains of this culture are primarily stone tools, flakes, and a multitude of rock paintings. The end of the Khormusan came around 16000 B.C. and was concurrent with the development of other cultures in the region, such as the Halfan and Gemaian. These new cultures had made minor advancements in technology, such as better methods of stone tool production, and they too would fade and be succeeded by similar bands with minor advancements (Trigger 1976: 26-28).

A notable advancement in sedentism would come around 6000 B.C. with the production of pottery by the culture known as the Khartoum Mesolithic. Pottery making techniques would be improved by the concurrent and succeeding cultures of the region, and it is during this time that the relationship between Nubian culture and Egyptian culture is evident. Comparison of pottery, tool making methods and sources of raw materials show the influence of Nubia on early stages of Egyptian development. Also, the presence of Upper Egyptian ceramics in Nubian graves and similarities in pottery show the influence of Egypt on Nubian development (Taylor 1991: 8-9). Still, an even more important development in sedentism would come around 3500 B.C. with the Khartoum Neolithic culture. This advancement was food production (Trigger 1976: 29).

The Khartoum Neolithic site of Shaheinab has revealed much advancement in the development of early Nubian culture. Material culture of the site showed that during this period pottery was decorated and burnished, woodworking had achieved new importance, and resources of the Nile were used more. More importantly, a notable percentage of bones found were sheep and goat, indicating the domestication of animals for food. Other cultures that were existing along the Nile, such as the Abkan who occupied the area near the Second Cataract, were probably also food producing. This has been deduced from the lack of evidence indicating the importance of hunting (Trigger 1976: 29-31).

After about 3000 B.C., another group whom archaeologists consider the first true Nubian culture as associated with the subsequent kingships of the region. This ‘A-Group’, as archaeologist George Reisner named the different phases of Nubian culture, emerged between 3500-3000 B.C. (Taylor 1991: 9). They are the first known culture in Nubia to develop an extensive means of agriculture (Taylor 1991: 9). Also, it is during this time that trade between Egypt and Nubia is evident. Many of the grave and camp sites of the A-Group Nubians contained trade goods such as linen cloth, copper tools, stone bowls, beads, jewelry, and metal pigments used as face paint (Trigger 1976: 38). One noteworthy aspect of A-Group culture is the funerary practices of burying the dead "with items of personal adornment" and the large value of some of the items found in the graves (Taylor 1991: 10). Pottery was valued greatly by A-Group culture and this was "reflected in the technical and artistic superiority" of their ceramics (Taylor 1991: 10). The A-Group Nubian "settlements were small camp sites, some of which contain multiple occupation layers" (Trigger 1976: 36).

The A-Group Nubian culture reached its climax during the Egyptian First Dynasty and ended at the beginning of the third millenium B.C. Practically no archaeological evidence of a succeeding culture has been found and it is thought that over the next few centuries the area was inhabited by a few "thinly scattered groups of indigenous people" (Taylor 1991: 13). This occurrence is thought to be a result of "deterioration of climate" and effects of Egyptian exploitation in trade (Taylor 1991: 13). At the time of the absence of significant Nubian occupation, the Egyptians established settlements further south in Nubia in order to extract resources from Nubian land more effectively. It would not be until the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, between 2345 and 2181 B.C. that a new phase of Nubian culture would settle into the Nile valley and sedentary development in Nubia would continue (Taylor 1991: 13).