Affad 23, a Late Middle Palaeolithic Site with Refitted Lithics and Animal Remains in the Southern Dongola Reach, Sudan

Affad 23: settlement structures and palaeoenvironments in the Terminal Pleistocene of the Middle Nile Valley, Sudan

“…for human activity at this time drops sharply: Nilotic groups were perhaps forced out of the valley itself to exploit hinterland areas and higher ground. This model of site formation, occupation and abandonment is somewhat at odds with a previous interpretation (Osypiński et al 2011). We now know that the test pit explored in 2003 lay within the boundaries of a depression in the ancient topography.…”

“…Since 2013, we have been able to confirm that Unit 11.3 is the only sedimentary unit related to Terminal Pleistocene settlement. The sediments exposed in plan in 2013 ( Figure 7) include late-LGM silts (Unit 11.1); the sands on which settlement activities occurred (Unit 11.3); silt that seals depressions in the ancient topography (Unit 11.4); and Holocene lag deposits (gravels) containing redeposited 'Khartoum Mesolithic' archaeology (Osypiński et al 2011).…”

“…We present here the results of renewed investigations at Affad 23, building on an initial survey in 2003 (Osypiński et al . 2011). The new data suggest that occupation broadly correlates with the abrupt return of the African monsoon system c. 15 kya and the associated replenishment of the Nile from the overflowing of the Ugandan lakes.…”

Levallois Tradition epigones in the Middle Nile Valley: survey in the Affad Basin

“…The survey yielded data on a cluster of sites reflecting occupation of the area around Affad (al-Affat), a village in the Southern Dongola Reach, which had been inhabited by groups using Levallois knapping methods to produce stone tools. Beside lithic scatters common throughout Sudan, the authors also recorded the preserved spatial relation of Palaeolithic deposits containing also mineralized animal bones (Osypiński, Osypińska, and Gautier 2011). The currently collected data provide basic evidence for a study of settlement aspects hitherto unrecognized in this part of the Nile Valley, that is, internal camp organization, seasonality of camp sites, hunting and consumer preferences, environmental adaptation etc.…”

Stone tool assemblages and models for the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa

“…7) may represent a variant of the Khormusan located somewhat further from the Nile (Goder-Goldberger, 2013). Further south in Sudan, ongoing research is revealing lithic assemblages similar to both the Khormusan and the East African MP (Osypínski et al, 2011;Osypínski, 2012). A final northeast African site of interest is that of Haua Fteah, Libya.…”