Weekly Websites - Gilf Kebir archaeology

Following the results of the long term interdisciplinary project "B.O.S." (Settlement History of the Eastern Sahara) further and more detailed research is to be carried out in the Northern Libyan Desert.

The sub-project focuses on the beginning and spread of food-producing economies, the general question of mono- or polycentric development of neolithic phenomena and the relevance of these processes for the beginning and rise of Egyptian civilization. Since the ecological setting for man's activities in the area can be divided into three larger environmental zones by the summer rains in the North, winter rains in the South and the Nile Valley in the East, the study of regional climatic development is a necessary prerequisite for understanding the historical development and the possible role and range of interregional contacts. In this regard a detailed regional chronology has to be worked out on the basis of geomorphological- sedimentological analyses as well as of archaeological excavations including palaeobotany and archaeozoology.

Within the general theme of the SFB - man and environment - this sub-project focuses on the earliest level of relevant interdependence between economic/social life and environmental conditions, investigates the transition to productive economy, and thus tries to record an initial stage in the cultural change, obviously starting in the North and affecting the South of the continent some millennia later.

Systems of prehistoric land use in the Gilf Kebir (Jörg Linstädter)

The Gilf Kebir is a sandstone plateau situated in the margin of south-western Egypt. On its south-eastern fringes broad Wadis flow into the plains. Over the period of the past 20 years their upper reaches have been subject to archaeological research of scientists of the University of Cologne (KUPER 1995, SCHÖN 1994).

Considering the history of ancient Egypt and especially its pharaonic period, the Gilf Kebir seems to be completely marginal. There are up to now no confirmed data available on the existence of direct or indirect relations between the Gilf Kebir area and the Nile valley in prehistoric times. But not only historical events can connect egyptology and prehistoric archaeology, but also shared methodological approaches. Modern archaeology is more than a descriptive historical science. Scientific branches have been developed such as economical, sociological and ecological archaeology in order to reconstruct systems of land use, of mobility, and cognition. The term landscape archaeology has been coined to summarise the scope of these different branches, which are relevant for all archaeological and cultural anthropological disciplines (LÜNING 1997:277). This paper will try to show the potential impact of this approach on the understanding of archaeological sites in the study area.

Contains general background information on the Libyan Desert, including geography, a detailed account of and various original documents relating to its history and exploration, descriptions and photo galleries of the main rock art and archaeological sites (Wadi Sora, the real "Cave of Swimmers", Karkur Talh rock art sites, Ain Doua, Abu Ballas and others) and information on the desert's fauna and flora.

Photos - Gilf Kebir & Uweinat Proposed National Park (Zarzora Expeditions)

The Southern Frontiers Expeditions were undertaken by Zarzora Expedition, between 1996 and 2004, to draw a rough diagram of Egypt's natural treasures. The expeditions' results included the find of ancient trails, a considerable number of neolithic settlements, paleolithic remains and tools, remarkable rock-art sites, the discovery of unknown vegetated valleys, the adding of dune-belts, passages and hills to the previously blank spaces on the map and several other interesting finds.

With the very first rays of light we woke up. Hurriedly I grabbed a cup of hot tea and something to keep me warm as the early hours of day are usually the coldest in the desert. Right after breakfast each of us packed up our respective tents and bags and left them to the care of the staff while we headed for our one hour morning walk -- a refreshing experience that cleansed our lungs from urban pollution and our minds from daily worries. Prospects of the day ahead filled me with excitement, as I was set to see, for the first time in my life, one of the world's oldest artistic sites -- El-Mestekawi Cave. Rock art is the oldest form of art left by the human race. While few countries are blessed with samples of such art, Egypt enjoys a handful of them. Al-Gilf Al-Kebir was home to groups of hunter-gatherers, who lived, as their name suggests, on hunting animals and gathering fruits and vegetables. When Al-Gilf Al-Kebir was still an inhabitable place, hunter-gatherers roamed the area, and in addition to their daily routine they painted and carved some of the most spectacular pieces of art in the whole world.

Systems of prehistoric land use in the Gilf Kebir (Jörg Linstädter,Cologne, Germany)

In: HAWASS, Z. (ed.) Egyptology at the dawn of the Twenty-first century. Proceedings of the Eigth International Congress of Egyptologists, Cairo 2000, American University of Cairo Press. Cairo 2002.

Introduction

The Gilf Kebir is a sandstone plateau situated in the margin of south-western Egypt. On its south-eastern fringes broad Wadis flow into the plains. Over the period of the past 20 years their upper reaches have been subject to archaeological research of scientists of the University of Cologne (KUPER 1995, SCHÖN 1994).

Considering the history of ancient Egypt and especially its pharaonic period, the Gilf Kebir seems to be completely marginal. There are up to now no confirmed data available on the existence of direct or indirect relations between the Gilf Kebir area and the Nile valley in prehistoric times. But not only historical events can connect egyptology and prehistoric archaeology, but also shared methodological approaches. Modern archaeology is more than a descriptive historical science. Scientific branches have been developed such as economical, sociological and ecological archaeology in order to reconstruct systems of land use, of mobility, and cognition. The term landscape archaeology has been coined to summarise the scope of these different branches, which are relevant for all archaeological and cultural anthropological disciplines (LÜNING 1997:277). This paper will try to show the potential impact of this approach on the understanding of archaeological sites in the study area.

Prehistoric Swimmers in the Sahara (By Pauline de Flers, Philippe de Flers and Jean-Loic Le Quellec)

Article in PDF format about rock art of the Gilf Kebir. The page takes an age to load but it gets there eventually. There are lots of very large images of the rock art and a useful map. The article explores the rock art in the context of different routes through the desert, and questions its relationship with the Abu Ballas trail, which was first identified by Carlo Bergmann.