Ein Wavy-Line-Fundplatz im Wadi Howar und d früheste Keramik in Nordafrika
Wavy linear decoration in Wadi Hawar
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SUDANOLOGY
part-2
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MAP OF THE SUDAN
herausgegeben von Friedrich W.Hikel
Supplement VI
Centennial Edition
Friedrich W.Hinkel & Janice W.Yellin
THE NECROPOLISES OF KUSH I. MEROE.
THE SOUTHERN GROUP OF PYAMIDS AND CHAPELS
Verlag Monumenta Sudanica
Berlin 2003
The last pyramids in Africa were built in the northern Sudan by the rulers of Meroe (c. 250 BC- AD 350). Fourteen different types of pyramids, built with masonry of brickwork, demonstrate great technical ability. They provide information on traditional building methods, organization of the work site, and architectural styles which include colourful decoration and finishing work. In the offering chapels, relief scenes of court and religious life reveal Pharaonic, Graeco-Roman and indigenous African influences. Their inscriptions are written in Egyptian or Meroitic hieroglyphs. As a result, these structures offer remarkable insights into the level of technical development, the status of the ruling family, religious beliefs, and the social and economic organization of the Meroitic state from its height to its decline.
Threatened by mounting destruction because of the weakness of their internal construction, as well as wind crosion and human activities, the resting places of the Meroitic rulers and nobles will be documented in this series.
Its first part, NOK I, focuses on the earliest cemetery at Meroe, the Southern Necropolis. This cemetery consists of burials that predate the transfer of the royal capital to Meroe, as well as the pyramids of the first two generations of rulers buried in Meroe. As with succeeding volumes, unpublished information from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by Lepsius, Davies, Reisner, Dunham and others, including paper squeezes of inscriptions by Lepsius and Breasted, the Prussian Expedition of Lepsius (1844), notes and drawings made by Davies (1906), and notes and drawings from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts- Harvard University Excavations (1921- 1923) will be brought up to date by data from the preservation and restoration work of F.W.Hinkel on behalf of the Sudanese Antiquities Service (1976-88, 1996 to date).
NOK I.I (Text) will present an introduction to the site and its history of research, as the catalogue of monuments containing:
- architecture (history of research, building methods and techniques, measurements, metrology, foundation deposits, setting lines and masons' marks, graffiti, architectural features, their different types and their place in the development of the site) documented and discussed by F.W.Hinkel.
- decorations (chapel relief scenes recorded with new drawings, burial chamber walls, offering tables, stelae and coffin benches) presented and analaysed by J.W.Yellin.
- inscriptions (on chapel an burial chamber walls, offering tables, stelae. coffin benches and burial objects) reproduced in hieroglyphs with transliteration, translation and commentary by J.Hallof.
- objects (records of objects in museums in the Sudan and other countries including latest accessions) by J.W.Yellin and F.W.Hinkel.
The summary chapters by Hikel, Yellin and Hallof will include:
The overall implications of their research for understanding the history and culture of the early Meroitic Period.
- a proposed reconstruction and discussion of different chronologies for the rulers of the early Meroitic Period.
- scientific apparatus, e.g. bibliography, abbreviations, glossary.
NOK I.2 (plates) will contain:
- facsimiles of unpublished documents, incl. Davies's 'Note Book', Reisner's and Dunham's excavation notes and sketches.
- photographs by Breasted, Reisner and Hinkel documenting features of the structural remains, decorations and inscriptions.
- measured drawings recording existing structures and reconstructions based on them.
- drawings of all surviving chapel reliefs and inscriptions based on photographic records.
Sudan archaeological map
Prepared by Friedrich Henkel
The southern group of pyramids and chapels
Frederick Henkel and Janice Yellin
The last pyramids in Africa were built in northern Sudan by the rulers of Meroe (about 250 BC - 350 AD). Fourteen different shapes of the pyramids, built with clay or brick, testify to high technical ability. These pyramids provide information about traditional methods of construction, organization of work on site, and architectural styles that include colorful decoration and exquisite finishing touches. In the offering chapels, court scenes and religious reliefs reveal Egyptian, Greco-Roman, and local African influences. The pyramid inscriptions were written in Egyptian or Meroitic hieroglyphic scripts. In doing so, these monuments provide surprising insight into the level of technical sophistication, the status of the ruling family, religious beliefs, and the social and economic organization of the irrigated state from its heyday to its decline.
Due to the increasing threat of destruction due to the weakening of the internal structure, coupled with wind erosion and human activities, the burials of the Meroitic rulers and nobles will be documented in this series.
The first part of the series, The Cemeteries of Kush 1, focuses on the oldest cemetery at Meroe, the (Bajrawiyya) Southern Cemetery. This cemetery consists of tombs that predate the transfer of the royal capital to Meroe, along with pyramids of the first two generations of rulers buried at Meroe. For later volumes, previously unpublished information was recorded in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by Lepsius, Davies, Reisner, Dunham and others, including stamp engravings by Lepsius and Breasted, the 1844 Prussian expedition led by Lepsius, Davies's 1906 notes and drawings, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts' notes and drawings - Harvard University excavations. 1921-1923 will be updated with data from the conservation and restoration work carried out by Friedrich Henckel and commissioned by the Sudanese Antiquities Service from 1976-88, 1996 to the present.
Cemeteries of Kush 1.1 (text) will give an introduction to the site and the history of the research conducted there, in addition to a catalog of antiquities that includes:
- Architecture (history of research, construction methods and techniques, measurements, measuring systems, foundation deposits, placement of rows and building marks, graffiti, architectural features, their different forms and their role in the development of the site) was recorded and analyzed by Friedrich Henckel.
- The decorations (relief views of chapels recorded using new drawings, walls of burial chambers, offering tables, obelisks, and sarcophagi) were provided and analyzed by Janis Yellin.
- The inscriptions (on the walls of the chapel and burial chamber, on offering tables, obelisks, coffin beds, and on funerary materials) are reprinted in hieroglyphic scripts, with their encoding, translation, and commentary by C. Haloof.
- Subjects (records of subjects in Sudanese museums and museums of other countries, including the latest collections) by Janice Yellin and Frederik Henckel.
The concluding chapters are written by Henkel, Willin, and Haloff and will include:
- The comprehensive results of their research aimed at achieving an understanding of the history and culture of the early Meroitic period.
- A proposed resynthesis and discussion of the various chronologies of the rulers of the early Meroitic period.
- Scientific device, i.e., bibliography, summaries, and appendices.
Kush cemeteries 1.2 (panels) will contain:
- Facsimiles of previously unpublished documents, including Davies' Notebook, Reisner and Dunham's excavation notes and sketches.
- Photographs by Breasted, Reisner, and Henckel recording features of structural remains, decorations, and inscriptions
- Scale drawings recording existing buildings and the reconstruction based on them.
- Drawings of all the prominent drawings found in the chapels and inscriptions based on photographic records.
AUSGRABUNGEN IM WADI EL AKHDAR, GILF KEBIR
(SW- Ägypten)
Wener Schön
with a contribution from Erwin Cziesla on the Wadi el Akhda 80/14
ISBN 3-927688-12-6 Köln 1996
The western desert of Egypt and Sudan is one of the most arid regions on earth. Within the framework of the interdisciplinary project "Settlement History of the Eastern Sahara" (funded by the German Science Foundation), archaeological excavations have been conducted here since 1980 along a transect extending from the mediterranean region into the Sahel zone which should provide information regarding the relationship between the development of human settlements and civilization and the change in climate over the last 10.000 years. One of the focuses of this study is the Gilf Kebir Plateau, which lies in the extreme southwestern corner of Egypt. The plateau is over 1.000m high and provides ecologically favorable conditions where life could have flourished, even when the desert had long since begun to encroach on the nearby surroundings. Remnants of settlements from the 5th millennium BC, the time period which immediately preceded the emergence of the advanced Egyptian civilization, are particularly well represented in the archaeological legacy. 15 of the 19 excavations evaluated in this 2-part volume and described and summarized in a detailed catalogue can be attributed to this time period.
Analysis of the material found, which are presented here over a hundred plates, focuses on the stone artifacts. W,Schön developed an index based on the technological characteristics for the production of these tools. The index has proven useful in demonstrating supraregional spatial and temporal relationships. In his contribution, E,Cziesla succeeds in rendering conserved internal settlement structures visible by reconstructing production processes and refining methods for mapping the desert floor. As a result human activities that took place several millennia ago, in what is now a completely inhospitable environment, are once again brought to life.
Excavation work in Wadi Al Akhdar, Gulf Kebir
(South-West Egypt)
Werner Schön
With contributions from Erwin Zsiesla on site 80/14 in Wadi El Akhdar
The Western Desert of Egypt and Sudan is one of the driest regions in the world. Within the framework of the integrative project “History of habitation in the Eastern Rock” (funded by the German Scientific Fund), archaeological excavations have been carried out here since 1980 along a sector from the Mediterranean region to the Sahel region, which can provide information regarding the relationship between the development of human and urban habitation and climate change over the last 10,000 years. One of the focuses of this study focused on the Gilf el-Kebir plateau, which is located in the far southwestern corner of Egypt. The plateau rises to more than 1,000 meters and provides suitable ecological conditions in which life could have flourished, even as the desert began to extend into the immediate vicinity. The remains of settlement sites from the fifth millennium BC, the period immediately preceding the emergence of advanced Egyptian civilization, are well represented in the archaeological heritage. 15 of the 19 excavations evaluated in the two-part volume and described and summarized in detail in the catalogue, can be dated to that time period.
The analysis of the found materials, presented here in more than a hundred panels, focuses on stone tools. Sean has developed a guide based on the technical characteristics of tool groove production. The guide has proven useful in clarifying regional relations, both temporally and spatially. In his contribution, Irwin succeeded in making the residence buildings visible by reconstructing the production processes and using advanced methods of mapping. As a result of human activities carried out several thousand years ago, what is now a completely repellent environment has been brought back to life.
Untrrsuchungen zur Besiedlungsgeschichte des Wadi Howar anhand der Keramik des 3, und 2, Jahartausends v.Chr.
Birgit Keding
Köln 1997
With a length of more than 1000 km the Wadi Howar is a west-east oriented valley system siuated on the southern boarder of the Libyan Desert. It was once the largest tributary of the river Nile and, until two thousand years ago, was characterized by stretches of both running and standing water. Over several millennia, the Wadi Howar was an ecologically favorable area for human settlement and a highly important communication route between the Nile valley and the inner regions of Africa. Evidence of this is given by numerous prehistoric sites located along the wadi banks which are particularly characterized by pottery. Although these sites were already mentioned by early explorers such as Newbold, Shaw and Frobenius, a systematic archaeological investigation of this still almost inaccessible region only began with the work of the Cologne DFG project "History of the Settlement of the Eastern Sahara" in the 80's.
The analysis of this work was primarily based on pottery from the Djabarona 84/13 site, the most prominent site in the region due to its size and large quantities of finds. Its features, in particular over 1000 undisturbed pit inventories with abundant pottery material and animal bones, furnished an excellent basis for the analysis. Seriations, mappings of the distribution of the pit contents as well as the regional and supraregional comparisons of absolutely dated archaeological finds, all helped establish a chronological sequence for the use of the pits and the typological pottery development in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. The results of this analysis seem to indicate that the cattle-keepers who settled in the Wadi Howar probably originated in the Sudanese Nile Valley but that- contrary to previous assumptions- there was an increasing orientation towards the adjacent areas to the west, especially in the later phases of advancing aridity. However, not only the chronological subdivisions of the pottery but also the archaeozoological results and economic and probably ritual structures that can be deduced from this analysis make Djabarona 84/13 a cornerstone for the understanding of the settlement history of the southern Eastern Sahara.
Birgit Keeding
Colon 1997
With its length extending to more than a thousand kilometers in a west-east direction, Wadi Hawar is located within the borders of the Libyan Rock. At one time it was the largest tributary of the Nile River and, until two thousand years ago, it was distinguished by its extensions of both flowing and stagnant water. For millennia, the valley has been an ecologically suitable area for human habitation and a very important route between the Nile Valley and the interior of Africa. Evidence of this is provided by many prehistoric sites located along the banks of the valley, which are particularly distinguished by their pottery. Although these sites had previously been mentioned by early explorers such as Newbold, Shaw, and Frobenius, a systematic archaeological study of this hitherto difficult-to-access region actually began with the implementation of the University of Cologne project “The History of Residence in the Eastern Desert” in the 1980s.
The analysis of this work relied primarily on pottery from the site of Jabrouna 84/13, which is the most interesting site in the region due to the size and huge quantities of finds. Its features, especially the more than a thousand pieces from the pit, which included a significant amount of pottery and animal bones in their original condition, formed a good basis for analysis. Coding and mapping the distribution of the pit contents, along with regional and inter-regional comparisons of absolutely dated finds, helped establish the chronological frequency of the use of the pit and the typological development of the pit in the third and second millennium BC. The results of this analysis seem to indicate that the cattle-herders of Wadi Hawar were rooted in the Sudanese Nile Valley, but - contrary to previous assumptions - there was an increasing trend towards the adjacent areas to the west, especially in the late stages of the growing drought. However, not only the chronological ramifications of the pottery but also the findings from the study of the palaeofauna and the economic and possibly ritual structures that can be deduced from the analysis make Jabrouna 84/13 a cornerstone in understanding the history of settlement in the southern Eastern Sahara.
Ein Wavy-Line-Fundplatz im Wadi Howar und d früheste Keramik in Nordafrika
Fredrike Jesse
503 pp., 52 figures, 1 colour photograph, 75 tables, 74 plates; withEnglish, French and Arabic summeries
Köln 2003; ISBN 3-927688-22-3
The "wavy line" phenomenon is not only one of the most interesting aspects encountered in African cultural history but also within African archaeology. Without any recognizable predecessors the first pottery finds appear on the southern edge of the Sahara in the 9th millennium BC displaying a surprisingly homogenous picture over a distance of more than 500 km: a wavy line pattern made either by incision or impression covering the entire surface of the globular vessel which also bears witness to an extremely high standard of pottery technology.
The fact that this early pottery is very much older than comparible finds from the Near East is not the sole reason for it being particularly worthy of research. A further point of interest is that its appearance coincides with fundamental landscape and cultural change. After a period of extremely dry climatic conditions in the Late Pliestocene the Southern Sahara was subject to a monsoonal rain front coming from the south. The resulting environmental conditions were to sustain cultural developments in the region for more than 5000 years, thus playing a decisive role in the history ofmany parts of Africa.
The finds from two Colgne based project, B.O.S. ("Besiedlungsgeschichte der Ost-Sahara") and ACACIA ("Arid Climate, Adaptation and Cultural Innovation in Africa") in the Wadi Howar, serve as the starting point for Fredrike Jesse's examination of the various facies Wavy Line decoration and her following discussion of its development and dispersal over a large area.
Wavy linear decoration in Wadi Hawar and pottery in North Africa
Ferdike Jesse
503 pp., 52 figures, 1 color photograph, 75 tables, 74 plates; With a summary in English, French and Arabic
Colon 2003 ISBN 3-927688-22-3
The "wavy line" phenomenon is not only one of the most interesting aspects we encounter in the cultural history of Africa but also in African archaeology. Without any precursor artifacts, the first pottery finds appear at the southern border of the Sahara in the ninth millennium BC. It reflects an amazingly homogeneous image over a distance of more than 500 km: a wavy line pattern that works either by drilling or pressing and covers the entire spherical surface of the jar, which also stands as evidence of a high level of pottery manufacturing technology.
The fact that this early pottery is much older than comparable finds in the Near East is not the only reason it is worth investigating. Another interesting point is that its appearance matches the natural surface and cultural change. After a period of severe drought in climatic conditions in the late Pleistocene, the southern desert was exposed to a monsoon rain front coming from the south. The environmental conditions that resulted were capable of sustaining cultural developments in the region over more than 5,000 years, and thus played a decisive role in the history of many parts of Africa.
The finds from two projects based in Cologne, (“Besiedlungsgeschichte der Ost-Sahara”) and (“Arid Climate, Adaptation and Cultural Innovation in Africa”) in Oued Hoor, serve as a starting point for Frederic Gissi’s study of the different phases of wavy line decoration and her subsequent discussion of its development and spread over a large area.