Socio-Economic Differentiation in the Neolithic Sudan

Jebel Moya revisited: a settlement of the 5th millennium BC in the middle Nile Basin

“…Since then, new data, of both an archaeological and environmental nature, have been collected by other scholars from the Nile Valley and adjacent regions. Hypothetical reconstructions of prehistoric events in the Jebel Moya region have thus been advanced (Clark 1973;Adamson et al 1974;Clark & Stemler 1975;Adamson et al 1982; Clark 1984; Haaland 1987).…”

“…The so-called 'dotted-wavy-line' decoration is technically a rocker stamp, not a straight impression of a curved frontal comb, as suggested in the past (Camps Fabrer 1966). The curves are obtained by impressing oblique zigzags in a fan-like pattern (Caneva 1983: 175;1987: 235 and figure 9.1). The frequency of the different types is not given here, as it does not seem to be significant in this collection which was selected and not sampled out of the total material.…”

“…Discussion: Jebel Moya and wavy-line pottery Both 'dotted-wavy-line' pottery and the incised 'wavy-line' pottery, which is not present in this colledtion, are well known in the literature of prehistoric north Africa, traditionally being considered as the typical cultural elements which unify half of the African continent under the heading of 'Saharo-Sudanese Neolithic' or 'Neolithic of Sudanese tradition' (Camps 1974). In fact, a more accurate investigation of the contexts involved shows that these concepts need to be reviewed in view of the following points: 1 'Wavy-line' and 'dotted-wavy-line' pottery belong to different cultures, which are found in both stratigraphic and chronological sequence in the Nile Valley (Arkell 1953;Marks et al 1985; Haaland 1987;Caneva 1987) and the easternmost part of the Sahara (Delebo cave: Bailloud 1969). Both kinds of pottery belong not to Neolithic communities (i.e.…”

The Neolithic site of Haj Yusif (Central Sudan)

“…As an overall interpretation of the site, the abundance of grinders and scarcity of flint, specially microlithic, tools, would, in the light of the model proposed by Randi Haaland (1987) suggest that Haj Yusif was a permanent base site, agriculturally based, similar to Kadero (Krzyzaniak, 1978;, where similar proportions of implements existed (Nowakowski, 1984). Nonetheless, the poorly preserved, scanty remains of domes tic fauna, .…”

Stable isotope study on ancient populations of central sudan: Insights on their diet and environment

“…The information concerning the subsistence regime of the Neolithic and Meroitic populations recovered at Al Khiday cemetery comes from relevant data in the literature. The Khartoum Neolithic is known from different settlements (e.g., Arkell, ; Krzyżaniak, ; Haaland, ; Fernández et al, ; Chłodnicki, ). Domesticated animals are present in the faunal remains (Gautier, ; Peters, ; Gautier and van Neer, ) together with game, indicating that hunting still had some role in the subsistence strategies of these populations.…”