IIRC, it was once simply a normal planet that grew into a planet-wide city. It eventually had to maintain its very atmosphere via technology, as all the natural resources were gone. The actual surface of the planet is buried under layers of artificial construction, the only visible natural formation being the top of a mountain in Monument Plaza: As far as its actual history is concerned (and what sort of culture was there before it became the Galactic Capital), I think it's one of those topics that doesn't tend to be addressed too closely - conveniently "lost to time". Pretty sure that whatever history was ever devised has since been dismissed from existing canon - the original Mandalorian race (known as the Taung) was supposed to be indigenous to Coruscant. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Taung
Would be interesting to know if there is unreleased artwork of Coruscant during the early republic for any of the Essential Guides and if it has a chance to be released sometime soon.