http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ mirrored file For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== Nubia : 'Early Khartoum' A.J. Arkell excavated in 1944 near modern Khartoum a Mesolithic site, with the remains of a culture which he called 'Early Khartoum'. No traces of houses or huts were found but the remains excavated must belong to a settlement at least occasionally inhabited. Early Khartoum is a Mesolithic culture with some bone working and a microlithic stone industry. The use of pottery perhaps indicates contacts with Neolithic cultures. There was a limited use of wild grain. From the faunal remains it seems certain that these people lived by hunting and fishing; no domesticated animals were found. stone implements Most implements are made from quartz pebbles and are small in size (microliths). However, there are also some crescents or scrapers larger in size. The grinders were possibly used for grinding wild grain, as they often show signs of use (a smooth side). The use of the stone rings it not known. They were always found broken, and possibly they were intended to be used in that condition. crescents UC 13888 UC 13889 UC 13890 UC 13891 pebble hammer stones and pebble grinders grinder fragment of stone ring UC 13920 UC 13924 UC 13925 UC 13934 UC 13936 bone working About 270 examples or fragments of harpoon heads and spearheads were found. Some of the smaller examples belonged probably to arrows. Some of the harpoon heads (UC 13946) were decorated with incised lines. UC 13939 UC 13940 UC 13941 UC 13945 UC 13946 The pottery No pottery vessel was found intact. Most characteristic for the 'Early Khartoum' is the 'wavy line ware'. A wavy decoration was incised with a combing tool in the clay before it was dry. The tool was perhaps the spine of a fish bone (catfish - Synodontis schall); examples of such bones were found on the site. Other decorations are the 'dotted wavy line' decoration; other pots were perhaps undecorated. The shape of the vessels can be reconstructed as bowls with simple rims. UC 13968 UC 13976 UC 13977 UC 13984 UC 13987 UC 13992 UC 13966 UC 13980 Arkell 1949 <../biblioearly.html#Arkell1949> (the excavation report) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright © 2002 University College London. All rights reserved.