The Eastern Desert in the 1st Millennium bce and 1st Millennium ce

The chapter looks at the role played by the Eastern Desert and its inhabitants in the historical processes that affected northeastern Africa in the 1st millennium BCE–1st millennium CE. The environmental setting and the factors limiting the present knowledge of the history of the region are outlined. The relevance of the Eastern Desert for the Nile valley regions and, in general, for the ancient world is stressed. The written sources on the region are discussed as well as the available archaeological data. Special emphasis is put on the relations between the inhabitants of the Eastern Desert and those of the Nile valley and on the role they played in the development of states, both in the Nile valley and on the Ethiopian plateau.