Mapping the paleo-landscape features and middle or/and later Stone Age settlements of Tokar region, North-eastern Sudan using Radar Sentinel-1 (GRD) imagery

Abstract

Abstract Along the western coastal plain of the Red Sea, the discovery of lithic tools proved that the occurrence of archaeological remains belonged to the Stone Age era. Unfortunately, until recently, most of the Stone Age site plans in the western Red Sea periphery have been unknown because of change in climate in addition to covering these sites with a large layer of sand. Recently, remote sensing (RS) data have proven to be effective at identifying buried archaeological sites using radar satellite imagery due to their ability to penetrate the land surface. This paper aims to identify and reconstruct several potential Stone Age sites using radar satellite images in the Tokar region, North-Eastern Sudan, on the western plain of the Red Sea. Radar (Sentinel-1 SAR GRD: C-band) data were processed utilizing the advantages of the Google Earth Engine platform and Snap software. The results of this research showed that some potential settlements belonging to the Stone Age era (expectedly dating back to the end of the Pleistocene and/or the initial phase of the Holocene) have subcircular shapes with some interior subcircles. These results shed new light on the potential construction technique, size, and function of the settlement in the Stone Age era and can provide some initial insights into the ancient lifestyle in this region. Additionally, this study can aid in future archaeological surveys and excavation missions in this region.

Keywords

• Stone Age settlements
• Western coastal plain of the Red Sea
• Radar satellite data