New prehistoric sites found by Polish Academy in Faiyum, Bahariya, Farafra and Sinai

During this year's prospecting the Combined Prehistoric Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology located 46 unknown archaeological sites in Egypt, dating from the Lower Paleolithic to the late Neolithic. The survey was conducted in the area of oases Faiyum, Bahariya, Farafra, and the Sinai Peninsula. The aim was to locate new research areas for future work of the Expedition.

The expedition leader, Dr Jacek Kabaciński, reported that the most valuable finds include the site discovered in the area of Faiyum oasis, located a few dozen kilometers to the south-west of Cairo. In addition to the objects from the Paleolithic archaeologists found large amounts of skeletal remains in the sandy soil.

"It's likely that both stone monuments made of chalcedony and animal bones are associated with the stay of early hominids in this area, perhaps in the late Neogene or early Quaternary" – ventured the scientist.

Before the excavations planned for 2011 geologists, archaeologists and paleobiologists will explore this site in the autumn of this year and will ultimately clarify the chronology and research capacity.

"Equally valuable is the concentration of several dozen functionally different middle-Palaeolithic sites discovered south-west of the Bahariya oasis, where we have noticed stone tools made with the Levallois technique. The sites include large settlements, linked associated with obtaining good quality of raw stone, as well as short, seasonal camps "- said Dr. Kabaciński