In the November-December 2007 the fifth season of the investigations
of the Polish Archaeological Mission within the concession of
the Polish Centre of the Mediterranean in Cairo took place. The
team directed by Dr Marek Chłodnicki from Poznan Archaeological
Museum consisted of Piotr Osypiński, Marta Osypińska, Anna Longa,
Ewa Kuciewicz, Eliza Jaroni, Agata Drejer, Artur Buszek, archaeologists;
dr Jan Śmiełowski, zoologist, dr Dobiesława Bagińska, ceramologist;
Maciej Jawornicki, photographer and Halina Chlodnicka, documentalist.
The NCAM was represented by inspector Musa Elfdul Abdalla El
Tayeb.
During this season archaeological survey between El Ar (Shemkhiya)
and El Gamamiya was completed. We discovered 174 new sites, dated
from the Middle Palaeolithic until the modern times. It is noteworthy
to mention a group of Neolithic sites near El Ar (among others
large settlement covering area of 4 hectares) and two rock art
galleries discovered in el-Gamamiya and Keheili. We decided to
make some test excavations on several sites which on the basis
of the superstructure were described as Kerma horizon cemeteries:
El Ar 1 (excavated by A. Longa), El Ar 7, 29 (excavated by M.
Chłodnicki) and el-Gamamiya 19 and 55 (excavated by P. Osypiński).
Our work was also concentrated on documentation of rock art sites
at Gebel Gurgurib and el-Gamamiya and Keheili.
El-Gamamiya st. 55
During the survey, on the small hill between the houses, several
small tumuli was discovered. Many of them were plundered. On
the top of the hill, where 4 tumuli were visible on the surface,
trench 10 x 10 m was located. After the cleaning the surface
12 graves of three kinds were discovered.
First type of the grave has rather shallow, rectangular grave
chambers with walls faced with bigger stones. The graves were
covered with flat stones and stone and gravel mound on it. Lower
part of the mound was faced with flat, stone tiles 15 cm high.
The dead were equipped with pottery and other objects (bone pin,
bronze knife, fayance beads).
Second type of the grave is deeper one (up to 1 m) also with
rectangular chamber. Graves were blocked by big stones. Above
it was simple stone mound. Graves were furnished with pottery
(also imported).
Third type is children grave. They were rather small with rounded
chamber. Sometimes they were deep up to 1 m and faced with stone
tiles. Graves were blocked with flat stones and covered with
small tumulus. The dead was furnished only with beads, only in
grave 5 two small pots were found.
The deceased were buried in contracted position on the right
side. Traces of red ochra were recognized in the graves. In one
of the graves, traces of the matt covering the dead were also
found.
Only two graves were untouched. The rest were robbed, both in
ancient times an contemporary. The cemetery can be dated to Kerma
Clasic period (Old Kush III)
El-Gamamiya site 19
During the survey, the group of small tumuli, 2,5 m in diameter,
was fund on the mound on the desert, south of the el-Gamamiya.
On the surface of the site several fragments of pottery dated
to Kerma Horizon was found. Some of the tumuli have traces of
plundering. To solve the problem of the chronology of the site
a test excavations were made between 2 nd and 4 th December.
One of the graves was untouched. It contained remains of the
child in a chamber digged in the rock. It was furnished with
3 pots, among them a bottle imported from Egipt, cup and decorated
bowl as well as fragments of big decorated bowls. On the basis
of pottery the grave can be dated to Old Kush I or II. Second
excavated tumulus was plundered, and only part of the body was
found, decorated with faience beads on the wrist.
El Ar site 1 (Shemkhiya)
Site El Ar 1 ( El Al ) is located near to the modern
village. Site is placed on top of the rocky elevation, close
to the entrance to the enormous wadi. Surface of the hill is
covered with pieces of rock. Traces of burial stone structures
were visible on surface. Collection of ceramics has been recovered
on the site. Recovered forms and pottery kind suggest ceramics
occurrence during Old Kush period, it is possible to regard several
products as to dated to meroitic and postmeroitic period.
Excavated area was located on the top hill. During archaeological
works 10 tombs were excavated.
First excavated tomb is the tumulus with a sub-circular superstructure.
The completely preserved skeleton was lying along the east-west
axis, its head pointing to the east and the face turned to the
south. The deceased rested in a contracted position, his legs
drawn in and the hands in front of the face. Close to the deceased's
body a decorated bowl and a jar had been deposited. Besides it
the deceased was equipped with 4 arrow heads and beads made of
ostrich egg-shells, faience, stones and glass. Its chronology
is postmeroitic.
Other tumuli are of Kerma (Old Kush chronology) . Noteworthy
are the graves where the burial pit is outlined by single row
of stones and completely preserved skeleton was lying along the
north-south axis with the right hand touching the ram which was
deposited close to the human body. The graves sometime contained
traces of red ochre. Between the grave goods are a pottery, bracelets
comprising of beads made of faience and ostrich egg-shell.
Examples of whole ram offerings accompanying a burial are known
from Old Kush cemeteries in Nubia. The shapes of the tombs found
in the El Ar 1 site and pottery are typical for Old Kush II period.
Only grave T.1 could be dated to the meroitic period.
El Ar site 7 (Shemkhiya)
Site El Ar 7 is located on the edge of the old branch of the
Nile. It consists of a group of small, low tumuli, 3-4 m in diameter
and a group of graves located between the rocks on the edge of
the wadi. Three of the graves were excavated. All the graves
were plundered. In grave 1 only some human bones were preserved
intact. No grave goods were discovered. In grave 2 upper part
of skeleton was untouched. Only potsherds of destroyed pots were
discovered. We can to reconstruct the body position as a contracted
on the right side with the head sheltered between the rocks.
In the third grave inside the stone ring covered by the stone
mound a small chamber surrounded with big stone blocks was located
(some of them were removed). The dead, in the contracted position
on the right side, has destroyed upper part of his body. Only
a few small beads of ostrich egg-shell were found.
El Ar site 29 (Shemkhiya)
The site El Ar 29 is located on the desert, between the wadis
going to the ancient branch of the Nile (east to El Ar 7). Remains
of two tumuli were found in the area where Neolithic settlement
was functioning. Both have about 4 m in diameter. One of them
it is a stone mound, the second is a tumulus with shallow robber
pit inside.
First of the grave contain a remains of a dead in much contracted
position buried in narrow rock crevice, without any goods.
In the second grave we found only rectangular grave chamber,
60 cm deep filled with stones without any remains of the body.
Under the stones only one ostrich egg-shell bead was found. In
the stone mound we wound 6 fragments of lower grinding stones.
Chronology - probably - Kerma culture.
Rock art research
(Jebel Gurgurib) - Shemkhiya region
In the previous, year 2006 season, a short research in this
region was undertaken and one wadi was chosen for thorough documentation.
In result half of its complete length had been recorded and 22
rock art sites were noted.
In season 2007 we decided to continue our work in this area,
in order to complete the documentation of the wadi into the northern
direction.
During this research numerous new petroglyphs were discovered.
About 20 new rock art sites were noted. The petroglyphs are executed
in perfectly visible places and varying in quantity from single
represetations on single blocks to big clusters consisting of
few bulders and about 10 rock depictions. They were executed
mostly by packing (hammering), but also by incising and grinding,
or by combinations of these techniques.
The majority of petroglyphs depict camels (or riders on the
camels) and long-horned bovids (camels heavily predominate over
bovids). In one case, a scene showing rider on a horse (?) and
one scene with two ostriches was found.
According to subject-matter, style and patina petroglyphs of
long-horned bovids are usually older then those of camels, although
some types of cattle depictions can be contemporary with the
camel motifs.
El -Gamamiya site no 67
It's a massive single granite hill located in E part of Gamamiya
village. Petroglyphs are situated at the base, in the midle and
on the top of the hill. About 30 individual places with rock
art were noted. The great majority of petroglyphs represent depictions
of cattle, but also human figure (in a few cases, scenes schowing
human figure in association with the cattle), giraffes and antylopes
(or gazelles?). The bodies are depicted in profile, both, only
in outline and fully pecked. Shapes of the body of catlle show
greate varation, including angular, curved and irregular forms.
Greate care is taken also in rendering long and curved horns.
In a few cases pendants hanging in the neck area and udder are
shown.
Keheili site no 5
Short research was carried out also in Keheili region. During the
survey numerous petroglyphs on the massive hill were discovered
(around 30 individual places with rock art depictions). Petroglyphs
are executed on vertical rock surfaces and form kind of rock art
gallery. Spectrum of petroglyph themes consists here mostly of
pecked and incised cattle images, in a few cases associated with
human figures. The shapes of the animal body have angular and irregular
forms. Long horns are variously shaped. Coat markings or humps
are rarely indicated.