Opis
About the volume
Over the long years of research in Egypt's Western Desert, members of the Combined Prehistoric Expedition
(CPE) discovered unusually rich remnants of settlements from the period when the Sahara was overgrown with
savanna and periodic rivers and lakes existed. Romuald Schild and Fred Wendorf were the main researchers of
the area. In addition to numerous articles in professional and popular science journals, there have been several
monographic: srudies, the most important of which are two volumes from the early 2ist century. The first, a very
comprehensive multi-author volume, deals with the archaeological sites surveyed between 1972 and 2000, and the
second with The comprehensively analyżed ceramics recovered from them. The present monograph, in turn, covers
the sites surveyed at Nabta Playa between 2001 and 2008, and thus represents the conclusion of this gigantic pro-
jeet the lulmination of work in the area.
Previous publications covered the results of comprehensive, interdisciplinary studies of settlement sites. The
monogranph presented here, on the other hand, deals with the most impressive discoveries at Nabta Playa, i.e. , the
numerous stone structures interpreted as ceremonial. These studies contributed decisively to Professor R. Schild
being arqi-2rded the most important prize in Polish science: "the Foundation for Polish Science Award". Because of
their attractiveness, they are now widely known around the world thanks to the media's steady reporting on the
new discoveries. The present work contains those discoveries' expert, interdisciplinary elaboration, prepared by
specialists are part of the CPE.
Thus the purpose of this volume is to present to a wide audience the accomplishments of almost forty years
of research. and thus to complete the comprehensive study of the Nabta Playa area - from its settlement in
the period of climatic optimum to the complete desolation of the Sahara. 'Ihe results of this research are ex~
tremely-valuable to various scientific fields, i.e., archaeology, anthropology, geology, botany, zoology, climatol~
ogy, ethnology as well as to en[husiasts not strictly connected with science. The Nabta Playa area is also part
of the culniral heritage of present~day Egypt. The Nubian Museum in Aswan displays relics from this research.
Among the most important outdoor exhibits are the stone stelae and "Solar Calendar" (elaborated in this monograph)
whose transfer from Nabta Playa fell under the auspices of Egypt's Ministry of Culture and Antiquities.
Spis treści
Contents
Preface
Part I. The Nubia Shab Pediplain and the Atmur EI Kibeish Peneplain
Chapter 1. Introduction, Romuald Schild
Chapter 2. Measurements and maps, Romuald Schild and Paweł Wiktorowicz
Part II. The Groups of Tumuli
Chipier 3. The Early Neolithic tumuli from Gebel EI Muqaddas, Site E-06-4, Przemysław Bobrowski
and Agnieszka Czekaj-Zastawny
Chnpter 4. Tumuli from the right bank of the large wadi -"Wadi of the sacrifices", Romuald Schild
Part III. The Menhirs
Chapter 5. Quartzitic Nubia Sandstone Quarries and the Duration of the Final Neolithic Occupation,
Halina Królik, Romuald Schild, Maciej Jórdeczka, Dagmara Mańka and HebatAllah A.A. Ibrahim
Chapter 6. Fields of Menhirs, Romuald Schild and Halina Królik
Chapter 7. Alignments of Megaliths, Romuald Schild
Chapter 8. Geophysical research in the study of the megalithic structures in Nabta Playa,
Tomasz Herbich
Part IV. A special tumulus and stone installation in a circle
Chapter 9. The Tumulus from the Site E-04-2 "Little Lord of Nabta Playa", Romuald Schild, Halina Królik,
Dagmara Mańka, and Maciej Jórdeczka
Chapter 10. Craniodental Analyses of the skeletal Remains from site E-04-2, Joel D. Irish
Chapter 11. Stone installation in a circle from the Site E-92-8 -a possible "Solar Calendar", Romuald Schild
Part V. Synthesis
Chapter 12. Settlement of the South-Western Desert of Egypt in the Holocene. An overview, Romuald Schild
and Halina Królik
Chapter 13. Epilogue, Romuald Schild
Chapter 14. Plants used by Neolithic nomads in the Western Desert in Egypt. The results of archaeobotanical
research from sites near Nabta Playa, Maria Lityńska-Zając
Chapter 15. The Combined Prehistoric Expedition's Optical Luminescence Dates from the South~Western
Desert of Egypt, Andrzej Bluszcz
Part VI. Examples of unstratified camp Remains in the Nabta and Nab EI Diep playas
Chapter 16. Site E-00-2 -Early Neolithic Occupation at the Nab EI Diep Playa, Halina Królik and
HebatAIIah A.A. Ibrahim
Chapter 17. Site E-02-3 - Final Neolithic Occupation at the Nab EI Diep Playa, Halina Królik and
HebatAIIah A.A. Ibrahim
Chapter 18. Site E-04-3 -Neolithic occupation adjacent to the South-Eastern Group of Megalithic Structures
at Nabta Playa, Agnieszka Czekaj-Zastawny and HebatAllah A.A. Ibrahim
References
Tabular summary of the Combined Prehistoric Expedition's Holocene Radiocarbon Dates from the Nabta,
Kiseiba, Kharga, and Bir Tarfawi Areas, Romuald Schild and Halina Królik
Catalog of recorded complete and fragmentary megaliths of Nabta Playa,Marek Puszkarski.
Affiliations
The Megaliths of Nabta Playa
