Holocene resource exploitation along the Nile: diet and subsistence strategies of Mesolithic and Neolithic societies at Khor Shambat 1, Sudan

The subsistence practices of Holocene communities living in the Nile Valley of Central Sudan are comparatively little known. Recent excavations at Khor Shambat, Sudan, have yielded well-defined Mesolithic and Neolithic stratigraphy. Here, for the first time, archaeozoological, palaeobotanical, phyto...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antiquity 2021-12, Vol.95 (384), p.1426-1445
Main Authors: Dunne, Julie, Jórdeczka, Maciej, Chłodnicki, Marek, Hardy, Karen, Kubiak-Martens, Lucy, Hoyo, Magdalena Moskal-del, Osypińska, Marta, Portillo, Marta, Sobkowiak-Tabaka, Iwona, Delgado-Raack, Selina, Bobrowski, Przemysław, Breeze, Paul S., Drake, Nick, Manning, Katie, Evershed, Richard P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Archaeology
Bones
Catfish
Cattle
Ceramics
Chromatography
Comparative analysis
Diet
Domestication
Excavation
Excavations (Archaeology)
Exploitation
Fatty acids
Fishes
Fragments
Historic artifacts
Holistic approach
Holocene
Lipids
Mass spectrometry
Mesolithic
Natural environment
Neolithic
Northern Africa
Paleobotany
Poland
Pottery
Residues
Scientific imaging
Sheep
Spain
Sudan
Vegetation
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Summary:The subsistence practices of Holocene communities living in the Nile Valley of Central Sudan are comparatively little known. Recent excavations at Khor Shambat, Sudan, have yielded well-defined Mesolithic and Neolithic stratigraphy. Here, for the first time, archaeozoological, palaeobotanical, phytolith and dental calculus studies are combined with lipid residue analysis of around 100 pottery fragments and comparative analysis of faunal remains and organic residues. This holistic approach provides valuable information on changes in adaptation strategies, from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Neolithic herders exploiting domesticates. A unique picture is revealed of the natural environment and human subsistence, demonstrating the potential wider value of combining multiple methods.
ISSN:0003-598X
1745-1744
DOI:10.15184/aqy.2021.141