Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Holocene Settlement of the Egyptian Sahara

Volume 1: The Archaeology of Nabta Playa

  • Book
  • © 2001

Overview

Authors:
  1. Fred Wendorf

    1. Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, USA

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Romuald Schild

    1. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 299.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (25 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Fred Wendorf, Romuald Schild
    Pages 1-10

  3. Geomorphology, Lithostratigraphy, Geochronology and Taphonomy of Sites

    • Romuald Schild, Fred Wendorf
    Pages 11-50

  4. Combined Prehistoric Expedition’s Radiocarbon Dates Associated with Neolithic Occupations in the Southern Western Desert of Egypt

    • Romuald Schild, Fred Wendorf
    Pages 51-56

  5. Site E-77-7 Revisited: The Early Neolithic of El Adam Type at El Gebal El Beid Playa

    • Angela E. Close, Fred Wendorf
    Pages 57-70

  6. Sites E-91-3 and E-91-4: The Early Neolithic of El Adam Type at Nabta Playa

    • Angela E. Close
    Pages 71-96

  7. Site E-75-9: The Excavation of an El Adam (?) Early Neolithic Settlement at Nabta Playa

    • Fred Wendorf, Romuald Schild
    Pages 97-110

  8. Site E-75-6: An El Nabta and Al Jerar Village

    • Halina Królik, Romuald Schild
    Pages 111-146

  9. Site E-91-1: An Al Jerar Phase Locality at Nabta Playa

    • Fred Wendorf, Angela E. Close, Romuald Schild
    Pages 147-330

  10. Site E-92-7: An Al Jerar and Late Neolithic Settlement

    • Halina Królik, Jan Fiedorczuk
    Pages 331-351

  11. Site E-75-8: Additional Excavation of The Seventh Millennium Site at Nabta Playa

    • Angela E. Close
    Pages 352-385

  12. Site E-75-8: A Slice Through Time

    • Kit Nelson
    Pages 386-411

  13. Site E-94-2: A Late Neolithic Occupation at Nabta

    • Amal Abu Bakr Mohamed
    Pages 412-426

  14. Sites E-77-1 and E-94-3: Two Neolithic Sites Near Gebel Nabta

    • Fred Wendorf, Romuald Schild
    Pages 427-462

  15. Site E-92-9: A Possible Late Neolithic Solar Calendar

    • Alex Applegate, Nieves Zedeño
    Pages 463-467

  16. The North Tumuli of the Nabta Late Neolithic Ceremonial Complex

    • Alex Applegate, Achilles Gautier, Steven Duncan
    Pages 468-488

  17. The Megalithic Alignments

    • Fred Wendorf, J. McKim Malville
    Pages 489-502

  18. Site E-96-1: The Complex Structures or Shrines

    • Fred Wendorf, Halina Królik
    Pages 503-520

  19. Human Skeletal Remains from Three Nabta Playa Sites

    • Joel D. Irish
    Pages 521-528

  20. Site E-92-8: A Late Prehistoric C-Group Component at Nabta Playa

    • Alex Applegate, Nieves Zedeño
    Pages 529-533
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

by Fred Wendorf and Romuald Schild The Eastern Sahara is a fascinating place to study structures. These larger, more complex sites are almost prehistory. Confronted with the stark reality of a hyper­ always in the lower parts of large basins, most of which arid environment that receives no measurable rainfall, were formed by deflation during the Late Pleistocene lacks vegetation, and is seemingly without life, it would hyper-arid interval between about 65,000 and 13,000 seem to be an unlikely place to find a rich and complex years ago. Their location near the floor of these basins mosaic of archaeological remains documenting past was influenced primarily by one factor - water. During human presence. Despite this impression of a hostile wet phases, runoff from extensive catchment areas environment, there is widespread and abundant caused the development of large, deep, seasonal lakes, archaeological evidence. or playas, in the lowermost parts of these basins. This It is obvious that this area was not always a lifeless surface water would last for several weeks or months desert. Faunal and plant remains found in the excavations after the seasonal rains, and by digging wells after the at Holocene-age settlements, dating between 9500 and playa became dry, water could still be obtained during 5000 radiocarbon years ago, indicate that rainfall during most, if not all, of the dry season.

Reviews

`The Archaeology of Nabta Playa is truly an opus magnus; it is not a casual read, and it will be cited for years to come. As a valuable reference work written for interested experts, it will be of most interest to those who share similar regional and topical foci. This book is thorougly and unequivocally recommended for students of African prehistory... In terms of value for money, however, this work speaks volumes.'
The Holocene, 13:2 (2003)
`[...] it is important to stress the objective contribution that these volumes make to the prehistory of the eastern Sahara. They are extremely well produced, with ample illustrations and statistics, and no detail is spared in the description of habitation sites and small finds. Volumes 1 and 2 of Nabta Playa are a superb addition to the prehistory of the eastern Sahara.'
Antiquity, 77:297 (September 2003)
`[...] contains a marvelous range of information on many aspects of life in the Holocene of the eastern Sahara. The publication is of a very high standard - well finishes and proofread - and should grace the shelves of Saharanists, as well as any university library where African history is taught.'
Journal of Anthropological Research, 59 (2003)

"It is clear that this book is a milestone. Wendorf and his team are to be enthusistically congratulated for contributing to the renewal of some critical theoretical and historical problems, and for their exemplary multidisciplinary research strategy." (Savino di Lernia; African Archaeological Review, 21:1)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, USA

    Fred Wendorf

  • Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

    Romuald Schild

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Holocene Settlement of the Egyptian Sahara

  • Book Subtitle: Volume 1: The Archaeology of Nabta Playa

  • Authors: Fred Wendorf, Romuald Schild

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0653-9

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 2001

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-306-46612-0Published: 31 December 2001

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4613-5178-8Published: 16 August 2013

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4615-0653-9Published: 11 November 2013

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIII, 707

  • Number of Illustrations: 167 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Archaeology, Anthropology, Regional and Cultural Studies

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation