Butana Group facts for kids
The Butana Group was an ancient culture that lived in the eastern part of what is now Sudan. They were part of the Neolithic period, also known as the New Stone Age. This culture thrived from about 4000 BC to the early 2000s BC.
Who Were the Butana Group?
The Butana Group was a prehistoric culture, meaning they lived before written history. They were part of the Neolithic period, which was a time when people started farming and raising animals instead of just hunting and gathering. This was a big change in how humans lived!
What Did They Make?
The Butana Group is mostly known for their pottery. This pottery often had special designs made by scratching lines into the clay. Sometimes, you can even see fingerprints in the designs! Their pottery was similar to what other Neolithic groups in the Nile Valley of Sudan made. They also created useful tools out of stone.
How Did They Live?
The people of the Butana Group mostly made their living by raising animals. This was their main way to get food and other resources. But they also grew crops like wheat and barley, which shows they were farmers too. They didn't just rely on farming and animal raising; they also hunted wild animals. They hunted antelopes, wild pigs (called suidae), and even elephants! They also gathered food like land snails, and you can find piles of their shells, called middens, where they lived.
Their Homes and Burials
We don't know a lot about exactly how their villages were set up. However, some of their living sites were quite large, covering an area of about 10 hectares (that's like 25 acres!). This suggests that people lived in these places for a long time. The Butana people lived in small, round huts.
Not many burial sites have been found for the Butana Group. When people were buried, they were usually placed in a curled-up position. The only things found with them in their graves were personal items, like jewelry or decorations. Many of these items were lip plugs, which are special ornaments worn in the lip.
