Sample name: Gala Abu Ahmed

Reference: V. Linseele and N. Pöllath. 2015. Local foods and traded goods-the faunal remains from a Napatan outpost at Gala Abu Ahmed (Sudan, first millennium BC). African Archaeological Review 32(3):537-590 [ER 3763]

Lithology: not described

Taphonomic context: human accumulation,settlement

Archaeology: buildings,ceramics,hearths,stone tools,other artifacts,other structures

Habitat comments: "The Gala Abu Ahmed fortress, with its impressive stone bastions and walls, encloses an area of 120 × 180 m and stands up to 4 m high. The fortress was built on a sandstone outcrop on the lower terrace of the southern edge of a channel-like wadi, just east of the conjunction of two channels. The general layout of the fort and its massive construction suggest that it was a defensive fortification. The position of the fortress near the mouth of the wadi indicates that it served as a fortified caravan station, protecting and controlling important trade routes".
"Excavations in the south-eastern part of the interior space revealed a three-room building with an almost square layout measuring c. 10 × 9 m. In the north-eastern corner of the fortress, a large, complex building with a series of rooms and courtyards was unearthed. To the north of this building, two rotundas proved to be large storage facilities, most likely used as granaries. A concentration of different types of objects was found to the east, including Greek pottery, arrowheads, pieces of faience, and sandstone figurines. A fireplace was found along the walls of the fortress, along with a large stone circle in the northwest corner, c. 20 m in diameter".

Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals,birds,lizards,snakes,fishes,clams,snails

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 3665 specimens

Years: 2008 - 2012

Sampling comments: "Major excavations of the site were conducted between 2008 and 2012. After the layout of an excavation trench, usually subdivided into 2 x 2 or 5 x 5 m squares, the windblown sand and rubble were first removed from each square as no in situ structures were preserved in this layer. The structures exposed below were then further investigated by smaller sondages set up at crucial points. Excavated sediments were systematically dry-sieved using a mesh size of 3 mm".

Sample number: 4025

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-10-21 15:29:45

Modified: 2023-02-25 11:12:47