🇬🇧 [2001-2005] Surveys and rescue excavations
Francis Geus, Yves Lecointe, Vincent Francigny, Raphaël Pouriel, Coralie Gradel, Frédérique Adam, Aurore Schmitt, David Peressinotto, Elena Garcea, Piotr Osypinski, Yan Moyerson, Maria Gatto, Philippe Van Peer, Vincent Rondot, Ali Merghani Ahmed, Nahla Mustafa, Habab Ahmed Idriss, Awadallah Ali El Bacha, Fawzi Hassan Bakhit, Ayman El Tayeb, Heider Mohamdian, AbdelHai Abdel Sawi, El Taher Adam Elnur, Yassin Mohamed Sayed, Ahmed El Amin Elsukari, El Hassan Ahmed Mohamed, Azari Mustafa, Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Hamid, Faïz Hassan Osman, Abdel Bagi Ayib, Mejdi Awad.

For four years, the SFDAS participated, alongside NCAM, in an archaeological survey and rescue excavation programme linked to the construction of a dam in the region of the Fourth Cataract of the Nile. The project, which ran from November 2001 to 2005, involved four operations in the repopulation zones selected for resettling the Chaggyia and Manassir populations then living in the area of the cataract. These zones were located near Debba, Korti, Atbara, and Abou Hamed.
The first phase of the program, completed in December 2002, focused on the region of el-Multaga, east of Debba. The survey identified 147 sites of archaeological interest. It contributed significantly to our understanding of prehistory, particularly through the discovery of knapping sites from the Middle Paleolithic, habitation sites from the Mesolithic and Khartoum Neolithic, and tumuli dating to the second half of the fifth millennium BC.

The second rescue campaign took place on the right bank of the Ouadi Muqaddam, from November 2003 to April 2004. The campaign led to the identification of one hundred and eighty-nine sites. The oldest material found on the surface dates back to the Acheulean period and the very earliest phases of the Middle Palaeolithic. Similar to the ones in Multaqa, the Neolithic sites are Khartoum “Mesolithic” and Khartoum Neolithic habitats. The excavation of four small post-Meroitic cemeteries highlights the settlement of small communities along the wadis and in the hinterland. The Christian sites, the most numerous, are mostly isolated tombs, sometimes organized in groups of a few units.

The third region, situated to the south of Ed-Damer, was surveyed from October to December 2004. Covering an area of 240 km2 (south of Ed-Damer, Mukabrab site), 35 sites were inventoried, most of them located a few kilometers east of the river’s present course. The oldest site is a Neolithic settlement contemporary with the Khartoum Mesolithic and the Khartoum Neolithic. The discovery of ceramic shards comparable to ancient Kerma pottery at the site marks a first for this region of the Middle Nile. A small cemetery containing Meroitic and post-Meroitic tombs, though devoid of material, was excavated as part of the salvage operations. In addition, a number of isolated tumuli dating from the Christian period were examined.

The latest operation, named “Kehaila East Archaeological Salvage Project”, took place in June 2005 and involved the Keheila area between Abu Hamed downstream and the village of Meheisa upstream (coordinates: 19°42,000 to the north, 19°35,000 to the south; 33°01,000 to the west, 33°15,500 to the east). This desert zone is mainly characterised by gravel plains crossed by small wadis. The largest of these is the wadi el-Go’oud. Most of the sites identified are Neolithic (43.48%). There are also Kerma (6.95%), Post-Meroitic (4.35%) and Christian (5.21%) period sites.
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sfdas (5 novembre 2024). 🇬🇧 [2001-2005] Surveys and rescue excavations. SFDAS Khartoum. Consulté le 21 juin 2025 à l’adresse https://sfdas.hypotheses.org/5669