Interdisciplinary Research into the Legacy of the Medieval Metropolis of Soba in a Modern Khartoum Suburb

Recent research at Soba focuses on the tangible and intangible heritage of the medieval capital of Alwa kingdom, whose remains cover approximately 275 ha. About 222 ha of this area has been built up or transformed into agricultural land in the past 30 years. An ethnographic survey was also carried out in the built-up area to understand how the residents engage with the archaeological heritage and material remains. The undeveloped area of the capital (53 ha) was the focus of interdisciplinary archaeological fieldwork conducted in 2019 and 2020. A large-scale geophysical survey, using a fluxgate gradiometer and ground-penetrating radar, was initiated in the undeveloped area, and excavation trenches were opened to verify distinctive magnetic anomalies. Along with the ethnographic and geophysical data, the study of the pottery, burials, and stratigraphic sequence (supplemented with radiocarbon dates) provides new insights into the spatial organization of the medieval capital

Fortified sites in settlement context from Upper Nubia during the kingdom of Makuria

Wydział Historyczny: Instytut PrahistoriiRozprawa podejmuje temat znaczenia założeń ufortyfikowanych w czasach od końca Imperium Meroickiego (okres późnomeroicki/postmeroicki II-VI w. n.e.) oraz jednoczesnego tworzenia się nowych ośrodków władzy, aż po czasy przyjęcia chrześcijaństwa przez królestwo Makurii (VI w.). Zasięg terytorialny obejmuje obszar Górnej Nubii (północny oraz centralny Sudan). Podstawowym pytaniem badawczym rozprawy jest kwestia dlaczego wznoszono takie założenia? Autor zakłada zależność pomiędzy fenomenem fortyfikacji, a działaniem władz Imperium Meroickiego, a później królestwa Makurii oraz Alodii. Aby potwierdzić tę zależność wykonuje podwójną analizę. Pierwszą opartą na zasadzie Zipfa-Auerbacha (rank-size rule), która umożliwia podział założeń ufortyfikowanych na kilka niezależnych systemów oraz wstępną charakterystykę. Drugi etap analizy to sprawdzenie. Na tym etapie autor wykorzystuje istniejące już, ogólne modele formowania się organizmów państwowych (early states) i za pomocą hipotez sprawdzających poddaje weryfikacji wnioski powstałe w pierwszym etapie analizy. Analizy wykazały obecność dwóch niezależnych systemów fortyfikacji. Jeden, bardziej jednorodny autor przypisuje Imperium Meroickiego. Drugi, scentralizowany królestwu Makurii. System jednorodny w okresie wczesnochrześcijańskim przestał funkcjonować jako całość. Królestwo Makurii w tym czasie uległo zmianom i system fortyfikacji na jego terenie przechodził transformacje z scentralizowanego na bardziej jednorodny. Królestwo Alodii nie kontynuowało aktywności na polu budownictwa fortecznego w okresie wczesnochrześcijańskim.This thesis deals with issue of fortifications importance at a time of the end of the Meroitic Empire (late meroitic/postmeroitic period II-VI century AD) and the simultaneous creation of new centers of power, up to the adoption of Christianity by the Makuria kingdom (VI century). Territorial range covers an area of Upper Nubia (northern and central Sudan). The primary research question of this thesis is why fortified sites had been constructed? The author assumes a relationship between the phenomenon of fortification, and the action of Meroitic Empire authorities, and later the Makuria and Alodia kingdoms. To confirm this correlation two analysis have been performed. The first is based on a Zipf-Auerbach Law (rank-size rule), which allows to analyze the distribution of fortified sites and distinction of a number of independent systems. Second stage of the analysis is a verification. At this step, the author uses already existing, general models of the early states formation. Analysis showed the presence of two independent fortification systems. One of them, more homogeneous attributes to Meroitic Empire. Second, centralized to Makuria kingdom. The uniform system during the early Christian period ceased to function as a whole. Makuria Kingdom at that time had changed and its fortification system transformed from centralized to more homogeneous. Alodia kingdom hadn’t built fortifications during the early Christian period

The medieval fortifications at Banganarti after the 2016 season

The state of preservation of Banganarti’s unique medieval mud-brick fortifications and the deposits accumulated against them allows a study of the history of these defenses and their immediate surroundings. Trenches excavated in the northeastern corner of the fortifications in 2016 gave a full cross section, starting with the layers preceding the construction of the defenses, through two phases of the fortifications and ending with traces of secondary use of the ruins

The Kushite temple in Soniyat after the 2016 season

Archaeological fieldwork in the Kushite temple in Soniyat (Tergis 40) was conducted from 1997 to 2001 with an additional short season in 2013. A team supervised by Bogdan Żurawski returned to the site in 2016 to continue the excavation of the southern section of the complex. Remains of substantial mud-brick architecture were discovered together with large quantities of small finds (potsherds and objects made of metal, stone and faience) and faunal remains. A compact layer of Nile alluvial deposits, about 0.10 m thick, covering the remains represented evidence most probably of a flood. A single stone column was visible at that level. The spatial distribution of the discovered architectural features matches the temple orientation; they can be interpreted as the remains of a pylon with an entrance flanked by columns

Book review: W. Vivian Davies and Derek A. Welsby (eds), Travelling the Korosko Road. Archaeological exploration in Sudan’s Eastern Desert, Sudan Archaeological Research Society 24, London: Archaeopress, 2020

The Korosko Road is one of the most important desert shortcuts in the Nile Valley, hence its frequent presence in general studies on Nubian history and archaeology. The volume, edited by William Vivian Davies and Derek Anthony Welsby, with contributions by Alfredo Castiglioni, Angelo Castiglioni, Mahmoud Suliman Bashir, Andrea Manzo, Serena Massa, Francesco M. Rega, Philippe Ruffieux and Donatella Usai, has long been awaited, at least by this reviewer, hoping to clear up much of the uncertainties surrounding the Korosko Road until now

Computer Database for Antiquities in Jordan

First computer database for antiquities had been introduced in Jordan at the beginning of 1990s. In following years the system was developed and changed. As a result, it became internationally acknowledged and awarded: in 2010 it was qualified as one of one hundred most promising innovations in digital technology by Netexplorateur forum; in 2014 Arches project, which developed based on experience from Jordan, was counted by Planetizen as one of ten best internet sources for planning, design and urban development in the world. The aim of this article is to present Jordanian database and the story behind it. It is interesting to take a closer look: how Jordanians managed numerous problems which occur during archaeological database creation; what were their solutions and did they fulfill expectations. Among many problems the most often and the most complex are: • precision of site location; • problem of site borders/limits/reach; • diversity in archive data; • access to database; • new data entry mechanism. The analysis of Jordanian archaeological database brought the conclusion that international acknowledgment does not have to equal to a full success. Some elements and implementation procedures are original and innovative whereas others do not seem to work. This is another aim of this article: to present solutions which have the potential of heritage protection and management improvement and those which did not fulfill the expectations. This project has been funded with support of the European Commission. The article reflects the view of the author only, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Fortified Sites at the Mouth of Wadis. Case Study of Abu Sideir and Abu Mereikh in the Fifth Cataract Region

In the introduction, the question of how deeply the fortifications are connected to the surrounding external context and how far analysis of this feature can provide answers on the fortifications themselves is raised. Our deliberations are based on the analysis of the fortifications at Abu Sideir (AS), Abu Mereikh (AM) B and C in the Fifth Nile Cataract region. Initially, it seems as though these sites share many characteristics: they are located in the same region, not too distant from each other. The location of the fortifications in both cases is on the bank of the Nile, not far from large wadi valleys, and many traces of settlement and examples of rock art have been recorded in the vicinity. In both cases the mouth of the wadi at the Nile River appears to be an important factor, holding deeper significance and symbolism for consecutive groups of people who either settled here or passed through. These were obviously areas of increased economic, cultural and military activity and this is where these similarities end, since upon closer analysis more significant differences were revealed. Themes presented in rock art differ considerably. Sites connected to nomad’s temporal settlements were recorded only in AS. Size and diversity in cemeteries also differentiates those areas. AS and AM are located roughly 13 miles apart on opposite banks of the river. Consideration should be given as to whether all the social groups in this region interpreted this distance in the same way. Settled farmers and fishermen who had boats may have had a different concept of this distance compared to the herders, for whom a river crossing together with the herd would mean a need of search for a ford or narrow point and the risk of losing animals. So whereas contact between nomads and people from the settlements may have been frequent, contact between the nomads from the Eastern desert and those from the Bayuda desert could have been rare. This may well be the cause of some of the differences registered

The beginnings of the Alwan capital of Soba in light of new archaeological evidence

The beginnings of Soba, the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Alwa, are usually dated to the 5th–6th centuries AD. Despite the consensus on the date, the question of what the city looked like during the initial period of its existence is still under discussion. The data on the early settlement at Soba is fragmentary. The results of recent excavations in the 2019–2020 season, including new radiocarbon datings, have provided additional information. Remains of early medieval brick architecture in Area CW and an early dating of Mound OS have been cross-referenced with archival data, leading the authors to hypothesize about the beginnings of Soba as a polycentric city with several areas featuring permanent buildings (of stone and/or brick) and vast areas dominated by frequently changing wooden architecture

Archaeological survey in Miseeda, Sudan (season 2022–2023)

The general aim of the archaeological survey in Miseeda was to understand the archaeological context of the church at site MAS021. The survey is part of a larger project entitled “The Good Shepherd of Miseeda. An image in the context of the changing cultural landscape of the Third Cataract of the Nile” directed by Dobrochna Zielińska (Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw). A total of 294 archaeological sites covering the periods from prehistory to the modern times have been recorded (13 verified sites and 281 previously unknown sites)

Fieldwork in 2015/2016 in the Southern Dongola Reach and the Third Cataract Region

The settlement remains surrounding the churches at the sites of Banganarti and Selib continued to be excavated in the 2015/2016 season by a team directed by Bogdan Żurawski. The research focused primarily on the living quarters around the churches and fortifications. An ethnographic survey carried out in Banganarti and Selib, and in the nearby villages documented traditional crafts, such as pottery making, basketry, baking and cooking using traditional techniques and recipes. Conservation and construction work were undertaken simultaneously with preparations for turning the Banganarti and Selib 1 sites into tourist attractions. Skeletal remains from earlier excavation were examined by a physical anthropologist. A survey combined with aerial documentation was carried out on selected archaeological sites in the Southern Dongola Reach (Soniyat, Diffar, Hettani, Bani Israil) and in the Third Cataract Region (Kissenfarki, Fagirinfenti). Short excavations were also conducted in the temple at Soniyat