The spatial organisation of Soba: a medieval capital on the Blue Nile

Drzewiecki, Mariusz; Ryndziewicz, Robert; Ciesielska, Joanna; Kurcz, Maciej; Michalik, Tomasz; Czyżewska-Zalewska, Ewa

doi:10.15184/aqy.2021.158

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Burials were cut into the topmost layers of the trench 1/OS. In general, excavations yielded a large amount of pottery as well as faunal remains, stone tools, a few metal objects, beads, and some glass fragments (e.g., Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Ciesielska, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Michalik, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki et al, 2022).…”

Section: Site and Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Written sources indicate that Soba welcomed visitors from as far as the Mediterranean and Ethiopian highlands (Vantini, 1975). Monumental architecture, as well as large quantities of fine and unique artifacts excavated there, have given an insight into the city’s wealth and far‐reaching contacts (Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Ciesielska, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Michalik, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki et al, 2022; Shinnie, 1961; Welsby, 1998; Welsby, 2004; Welsby & Daniels, 1991). Among the imported items was glassware of types familiar from sites around the Arabian Peninsula and the western littoral of the Indian Ocean (Anderson & Welsby, 2004a, p. 229; Harden, 1961; Morrison, 1991; Ward, 1998; Welsby, 2004, p. 229).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent excavations at Soba, between 2019 and 2022, of the interdisciplinary project “Soba—the heart of Alwa” directed by Mariusz Drzewiecki (Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019; Drzewiecki et al, 2022; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Ciesielska, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Michalik, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki & Michalik, 2021)—have uncovered only one cosmetic bottle and 32 glass vessel and window pane fragments. The present chemical compositional analysis of 30 glass fragments provides the first scientific evidence for the origin of glass vessels and window panes in the Christian capital on the Blue Nile and in Nubia in general.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Islamic glass in the Christian Kingdom of Alwa: Chemistry of shards from Soba, Nubia, Sudan

Then-Obłuska

Dussubieux

2023

Archaeometry

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Excavations at Soba, the capital of Alwa, between 2019 and 2022 yielded more than 30 glass fragments in addition to a glass cosmetic bottle. An analysis of 30 glass samples has identified glass belonging to a number of compositional groups. The majority of fragments were made of plant ash‐soda glass produced in the Middle East (Iran, Iraq) between the 9th and 10th centuries, and in the Eastern Mediterranean (Levant and Egypt) between the mid‐10th and mid‐12th centuries. Seven fragments were made of mineral–soda‐lime glass produced in 9th‐century Egypt and three high‐lead glasses find analogies in the 9th‐ to 11th‐century glass. Archeological evidence, as well as textual sources, leave no doubt about Alwa’s intense transcultural connections. This article provides the first insight into the chemistry of glass shards from medieval Nubia, and the results of analysis contribute to evidence for long‐distance contacts of Soba, the capital of one of the medieval kingdoms of Sahelian Africa.

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Section: Site and Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Islamic glass in the Christian Kingdom of Alwa: Chemistry of shards from Soba, Nubia, Sudan

Then-Obłuska

Dussubieux

2023

Archaeometry

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“…During two seasons, 2019/20 and 2021/22, of the interdisciplinary project ‘Soba—The Heart of Alwa’ (e.g., Drzewiecki et al, 2021, 2022; Drzewiecki & Michalik, 2021; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Ciesielska, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Michalik, et al, 2020), more than 730 beads were excavated in five trenches (1/OS, 2/OS, 1CS, 1/CW, 1/SH) in both burial and non‐burial contexts. They were made of ostrich eggshell ( n = 19), faience ( n = 3), clay/ceramic ( n = 623), glass ( n = 91) and other materials ( n = 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overseas imports on the Blue Nile: Chemical compositional analysis of glass beads from Soba, Nubia

Then-Obłuska

Dussubieux

2023

Archaeometry

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Archaeological evidence as well as textual sources leave no doubt about Alwa's (Alodia's) intense transcultural connections, further corroborated by understudied overseas glass bead imports found there. This paper presents results of an analysis of 23 glass beads from Soba, the most prosperous capital of medieval Nubia. Compositional analyses using laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) have identified glass belonging to a number of broad compositional groups. Three samples were made of soda lime low‐alumina glass produced in the Middle East (v‐Na‐Ca) and Egypt (m/v‐Na‐Ca). The remaining beads were made of two types of mineral–soda high‐alumina glass (m‐Na‐Al) North Indian in origin. The results of this study provide new evidence for the provenance and chronology of glass beads available in medieval Soba and Northeast Africa, and contribute new data to research on trade contacts of that time.

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Isotopic Evidence for Socio-economic Dynamics Within the Capital of the Kingdom of Alwa, Sudan

Ciesielska,

Le Roux,

Scott

et al. 2024

Afr Archaeol Rev

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Between the sixth and fifteenth c. CE, a vast expanse of central and southern Sudan belonged to the kingdom of Alwa, ruled from the urban metropolis of Soba. Renewed investigation of the city unearthed a small cemetery in the northern part of the site. The heterogeneity of burial practices raised some questions as to the cultural and religious affinities of the deceased and suggested potential multiculturalism of the local urban population. We applied isotopic analyses to investigate the origins of the people buried at Cemetery OS and their concomitant ways of life. Non-concordance of 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O values with local hydro-geological background speaks to the mixing of water sources as a result of residential mobility. The concordance of human and faunal strontium and oxygen results, combined with elevated δ13C values corresponding to almost exclusive reliance on C4 produce, points to the possibility of seasonal movement of people with their herds between the Nile valley and the adjacent grasslands. Despite the turn of the medieval Nubian economy towards settled agriculture, by revealing the granular specificities of human adaptation in challenging ecosystems, our results produce the first insight into the enduring diversification of economic production, even in urbanized settings, and persisting participation of local peoples in agro-pastoral symbiosis.

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The spatial organisation of Soba: a medieval capital on the Blue Nile

Abstract: Recent geophysical exploration and excavations, together with new radiocarbon dates, have shed light on the spatial organisation of medieval Soba in Sudan, and can partly be connected to the oral histories of the city's demise.

Cited by 9 publications

References 1 publication

Islamic glass in the Christian Kingdom of Alwa: Chemistry of shards from Soba, Nubia, Sudan

Islamic glass in the Christian Kingdom of Alwa: Chemistry of shards from Soba, Nubia, Sudan

Overseas imports on the Blue Nile: Chemical compositional analysis of glass beads from Soba, Nubia

Isotopic Evidence for Socio-economic Dynamics Within the Capital of the Kingdom of Alwa, Sudan

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