Satellite data plays an increasing role in archaeological research, especially in remote areas. For the peripheries of the Kushite and Nubian states, where large areas remained archaeologically unexplored until recent times, satellite data analysis can contribute significantly to our knowledge. Exemplary studies from Northern Kordofan and the Bayuda, using multispectral as well as radar-based satellite data, show different applications of this types of data for reconstructing ancient environment and climatic conditions, as well as different land use strategies. These geo-archaeological approaches help to understand the role of rangelands at the (mostly fuzzy) fringe between agricultural and pastoral subsistence strategies, as well as different models and levels of statehood and socio-economic organization.
The examples from the Bayuda and Northern Kordofan encompass several archaeological records in different environments, representing focal points of social organization on the peripheries of the (late) Meroitic, Post-Meroitic, and Makurian states and cultures: The ecologically favoured zone of Bir Merwa in the central Bayuda with the late Meroitic settlement of El Tuweina, the micro-oasis of El Rum in the lower Wadi Abu Dom with a productivity and settlement peak in the Post-Meroitic period, and the middle Wadi Milik in Northern Kordofan forming a western outpost of medieval Makuria.

Landscape and Geo-Archaeology of Western and Central Sudanese Rangelands – Multispectral and Radar Satellite Data in Practical Use