Late prehistoric sites from the Sabaloka province north of Khartoum on the Eastern bank of the Nile, Sudan

Abstract

Evidence from several sites suggests that the late prehistoric communities in Sudan developed over transitional times and regional diversities. Central and Northern Sudan have yielded an important record of late prehistoric settlements with several Mesolithic and Neolithic sites. New data from current projects such as the Sabaloka Dam Archaeological Project (SDASP, El Salha project) are progressively updating the archaeological map of Sudan and bringing fresh information about the complex transitions having occurred during the late prehistoric periods. Although many topics have been discussed, some issues remain untouched and geographical gaps are still uninvestigated. This paper reports about the survey and excavation conducted in the Sabaloka area, North of Khartoum, since 2013-2015. It is also a first attempt to discuss the importance of the area in the field of Sudanese prehistory and to explore the range of regional diversities through comparative studies.

Keywords

• settlement
• tumuli
• Neolithic
• late prehistory