Merimde Beni Salama
Merimde Beni Salama is a
History of research
The site was discovered by
In 1977-1982, excavations were conducted by the German Institute of Archaeology in Cairo under the direction of Josef Eiwanger.
Description
Lithic assemblages
Merimde is located near the terraces at the Wadi el-Gamal. A wide variety of Paleolithic lithic assemblages have been discovered in the area. Finds around Merimde Beni Salama fall into four broad phases, the Lower Palaeolithic, the Middle Palaeolithic, the Epipalaeolithic and the Neolithic. All these correlate with many other dated lithic assemblages in the broader region, such as in Upper Egypt, Nubia, and Libya, as well as in the Nile Delta.[2]
The Qarunian stone industry in the
Settlement
Early on, the settlement had been considered to be ca. 25 hectares, but recent research expanded this to at least 40 hectares, and possibly as much as 60 hectares.[4]
The earliest radiocarbon date for Merimde Beni Salama is 5300 BC.[5] Agriculture and animal breeding were a feature at the site right from the beginning.
According to Eiwanger, there were 3 functional phases of the settlement, with a total of 5 layers. After Phase I, there was a clear interruption in the settlement activity.
In Phase II, the settlement became more compact and substantial, with storage pits and hearths. Dwellings were in the form of rush and reed shelters. The role of cattle breeding also increased, but hunting still played an important role.
At this stage, the settlement was inhabited by communities with strong African influences.[6] Sorghum is a crop that is native to Africa, where it was first domesticated.[7]
During Phase III, the first human depictions known from Egypt were found, such as a figurine with visible hair, eyes and breasts.[8]
Northeast of Merimde Beni Salama, in the western Delta, a Neolithic settlement at
The adoption of a settled hunting and agricultural lifestyle in the Delta area may be connected to gradual changes in climatic conditions from 4600 BC onwards. It is believed that the Middle Holocene Moist phase started at that time.[9]
See also
Notes
- ^ William H. Stiebing Jr., Susan N. Helft (2017), Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture. Routledge. p. 76
- ^ Project: The Prehistory of the Nile Delta
- ^ Fayum, Qarunian (Fayum B). (about 6000-5000 BC) - University College London
- ^ Joanne M. Rowland (2021), New Perspectives and Methods Applied to the 'Known' Settlement of Merimde Beni Salama, Western Nile Delta. in Joanne M. Rowland, Giulio Lucarini (eds.), Geoffrey J. Tassie | Revolutions. The Neolithisation of the Mediterranean Basin: the Transition to Food Producing Economies in North Africa, Southern Europe and the Levant | Berlin Studies of the Ancient World
- ^ ISSN 1040-6182.
- ^ Mermide Culture - Predynastic Period. Horus magazine, 2021
- ^ Stefan Hauser; Lydia Wairegi; Charles L. A. Asadu; Damian O. Asawalam; Grace Jokthan; Utiang Ugbe (2015). "Sorghum- and millet-legume cropping systems" (PDF). CABI and Africa Soil Health Consortium.
- ^ Josef Eiwanger (1992). Merimde-Benisalame 3, Die Funde der jungeren Merimdekultur. Mainz
- ^ Penelope Wilson (2014), THE PREHISTORIC SEQUENCE AT SAIS: TEMPORAL AND REGIONAL CONNECTIONS. Archived 2022-06-16 at the Wayback Machine The Nile Delta as a centre of cultural interactions between Upper Egypt and the Southern Levant in the 4th millennium BC. Studies in African Archaeology 13
Literature
- Joanne Rowland, Geoffrey Tassie (2014), Prehistoric Sites along the Edge of the Western Nile Delta: Report on the Results of the Imbaba Prehistoric Survey 2013–14. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 100(1):49-65 Project: The Prehistory of the Nile Delta
- Joanne M. Rowland (2021), New Perspectives and Methods Applied to the 'Known' Settlement of Merimde Beni Salama, Western Nile Delta. in Joanne M. Rowland, Giulio Lucarini (eds.), Geoffrey J. Tassie | Revolutions. The Neolithisation of the Mediterranean Basin: the Transition to Food Producing Economies in North Africa, Southern Europe and the Levant | Berlin Studies of the Ancient World.
- Eiwanger J. Merimde Beni-salame. In Bard, Kathryn A. Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. London/New York. 1999; 501–505
- Josef Eiwanger (1992). Merimde-Benisalame 3, Die Funde der jungeren Merimdekultur. Mainz
External links
- Mermide Culture - Predynastic Period. Horus magazine, 2021