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Africa Praehistorica 8, Köln 1996
Werner Schön:
AUSGRABUNGEN IM WADI EL AKHDAR,
GILF KEBIR (SW-ÄGYPTEN) WITH A CONTRIBUTION FROM ERWIN CZIESLA ON
THE SITE WADI EL AKHDAR 80/14
- 2 parts
- 708 pp.
- 306 line illustrations
- 41 bw. photographs
- 2 colour photographs
- 100 tables
- 126 plates (incl. 9 photo plates)
- English and French summaries
- hardcover, half linen-bound, size 21 x 28 cm
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The western desert of Egypt and Sudan is one of the most arid regions
on earth. Within the framework of the interdisciplinary project “Settlement
History of the Eastern Sahara” (funded by "Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft"),
archaeological excavations have been conducted here since 1980 along a
transect extending from the Mediterranean region into the Sahel zone which
should provide information regarding the relationship between the development
of human settlements and civilization and the change in climate over the
last 10,000 years. One of the focuses of this study is the Gilf Kebir
Plateau, which lies in the extreme southwestern corner of Egypt. The plateau
is over 1,000 m high and provides ecologically favourable conditions where
life could have flourished, even when the desert had long since begun
to encroach on the nearby surroundings. Remnants of settlements from the
5th millennium BC, the time period which immediately preceded the emergence
of the advanced Egyptian civilization, are particularly well-represented
in the archaeological legacy. 15 of the 19 excavations evaluated in this
2-part volume and described and summarized in a detailed catalogue can
be attributed to this time period.
Analysis of the materials found, which are presented here on over a hundred
plates, focuses on the stone artefacts. Werner Schön developed an
index based on the technological characteristics for the production of
these tools. The index has proven useful in demonstrating supraregional
spatial and temporal relationships. In his contribution, Erwin Cziesla
succeeds in rendering conserved internal settlement structures visible
by reconstructing production processes and refining methods for mapping
the desert floor. As a result human activities that took place several
millennia ago, in what is now a completely inhospitable environment, are
once again brought to life.
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