In the period of the Egyptian 6th Dynasty, an Egyptian official by the name of Harkhuf travelled in Nubia. He left a description of his travels in inscriptions in his tomb at Elephantine. These give us an idea of the political geography of the region of Nubia prior to 2000 BC.
One interpretation is that Lower Nubia was occupied by a complex chiefdom called Wawat, whose paramount ruler lived at Aniba, site of a large rich cemetery, with sub-chiefs based at Dakkeh and Faras.
Upper Nubia was the home of two other chiefdoms, called Irtjet and Setju, perhaps based at Sai and Kerma respectively. Gradually the power of the chiefs of Kerma grew and they absorbed Irtjet, forming what Harkhuf knew as the Kingdom of Yam.
The capital was at Kerma and the chiefs were buried beneath huge burial mounds. In time, Yam gained control of Wawat in Lower Nubia as well, installing governors at Sai and Aniba.
