Recent discoveries indicate that homo sapiens (modern man) evolved in East Africa between two and half a million years ago, and stone age implements are found in all parts of the country. Domesticated cattle appeared c.8000 B.C. and agricultural settlements, with pottery, c.5000 B.C. Sudan's early history linked with Egypt and there are numerous Egyptian trading and raiding parties into Punt as they called Sudan .Between c.1800-1200 B.C. the Nile valley as far south as Abu Hamad was part of Egypt. Then in the eighth century B.C. the position was reversed with the rise of the kingdom of Kush and, c.750 B.C., Piankhi conquered Egypt. His successors were defeated by the Assyrians on the Palestine border, 660 B.C. and soon after driven out of Egypt. Kush, with its capital at Napata, extended from the third cataract as far south as Sennar, and possibly to Er Roseires and Malakal. In 590 B.C. Napta was destroyed and the capital moved to Meroe, where the art of iron working was developed, and Kush became an important link in the trade between the Africa and the Mediterranean. The Egyptian influences are seen in Kushite pottery , in the script with its cursive everyday form and ceremonial hieroglyphs , and in the custom of pyramid burial. The funerary rites of the period included immolation of wives and servants and the remains of as many as 300 individuals have been found at some sites. Kush broke up into a number of tribal states such Nobatia , Muqurrah and Alwash. They were followed by the kingdoms of Dongola and Soba after the country officially became Christian in 548 A.D. Dongola was invaded by Arabs in 652 A.D. and finally fell in 1340 and embraced Islam . Meanwhile the Nigerian Bornu Empire had extended its influence as far as Darfur and from there came the Fung dynasty which replaced the Kingdom of Soba with that of Sennar in 1500 .  At its height the Fung Kingdom covered the greater part of modern Sudan . It lasted until 1821 when Mohamed Ali , Viceroy of Egypt conquered the Sudan in the name of the Ottoman Caliphate. Sixty years later , in 1881 , Ahmed al-Mahdi led a jihad , holy war, against the Egyptians and expelled then in 1885. The British General Gordon, who had been sent to advise the Egyptians , was killed at the seige of Khartoum. In 1898 British forces defeated the Mahdi at the Battle of Omdurman and the following year the Anglo-Egyptian Condo minion was established , placing the administration in British hands who proceeded to lay the foundations of the present judicial , financial , educational and medical services. Gradually the riverain people of the south were brought into the framework of government; railways were built; irrigation works began and domestic slavery was finally rooted out. By 1936 the demand for independence was gaining popularity and in 1948 a Legislative Assembly was granted . In 1952 Egypt became a Republic and negotiations on Sudanese independence were opened between Egypt, Britain and Sudan. A three year transition period was agreed and Sudan became independent on 1 January 1956.