Excavations in and near Agordat in central Eritrea yielded the remains of an ancient pre-Aksumite civilization known as the Gash Group. Ceramics were discovered that were related to those of the C-Group (Temehu) pastoral culture, which inhabited the Nile Valley between 2500–1500 BC. Some sources dating back to 3500 BC. Shards akin to those of the Kerma culture, another community that flourished in the Nile Valley around the same period, were also found at other local archaeological sites in the Barka valley belonging to the Gash Group. According to Peter Behrens (1981) and Marianne Bechaus-Gerst (2000), linguistic evidence indicates that the C-Group and Kerma peoples spoke Afroasiatic languages of the Berber and Cushitic branches, respectively. COUNT 5
QSN1 What did excavations around Agordat yield the remains of? ANS1 the Gash Group QSN2 What is the Gash Group? ANS2 an ancient pre-Aksumite civilization QSN3 Where is Agordat located? ANS3 central Eritrea QSN4 What type of evidence indicated that the C-Group spoke Afroasiatic languages of the Berber branches? ANS4 linguistic QSN5 When did the C-Group inhabit the Nile Valley? ANS5 between 2500–1500 BC