A team of Polish archaeologists has uncovered a saline paleolake in the Bayuda Desert of Sudan—once a source of the rare mineral natron, used in ancient times for mummification, glassmaking, and ceramics. Over six years of fieldwork, the researchers identified more than 1,200 new archaeological sites, including 448 discoveries made as part of a National Science Centre (NCN) project.
Located in central Sudan, the Bayuda Desert remains one of the country’s least explored regions. While sporadic archaeological efforts began in the mid-20th century, systematic research only took off in the 21st century.
The Polish research team—comprising scientists from the University of Wrocław, the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, and the Archaeological Museum in Gdańsk—conducted extensive surveys across select areas of the desert. Their findings reveal a rich and complex history of human presence dating back to the Paleolithic era.
Under the NCN project titled “Prehistoric Communities of the Bayuda Desert in Sudan – New Frontiers of the Kingdom of Kerma,” the team identified 448 new archaeological sites and re-examined 126 known locations. Excavations were carried out at 88 sites, including 36 cemeteries and 55 settlements, with remains spanning from the Paleolithic to the medieval period.
A general summary of the research findings was published in the journal Antiquity, while preliminary results appeared in the periodical Nubia (in the volume Bayuda and its Neighbours).
Among the most significant discoveries related to past climate change are: a paleolake located in the central part of the Bayuda Desert; the remains of savanna animals at a Mesolithic site (dating to approximately 11,000–7,000 BCE); and insect remains (beetles) found inside a ceramic vessel at a cemetery of the Kerma culture—an ancient kingdom that existed from around 2500 to 1500 BCE. The latter findings also point to a significantly more humid climate than today, at least during the early centuries of the Kingdom of Kerma.
Research conducted in the volcanic field complex revealed that the saline lake discovered near Jebel El-Muwelha (meaning “Salt Mountain”) was a site of exploitation for deposits of the rare mineral natron.
The oldest archaeological sites, dating back to the Paleolithic period, are located in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the Bayuda Desert.
These sites contain artifacts associated with the Oldowan stone tool tradition—the earliest known Paleolithic culture, dating to between 2.6 and 1.7 million years ago. They also include remains of Acheulean workshops, linked to a later Paleolithic culture known for producing large flakes and multipurpose tools.
Research in Bayuda has also revealed evidence of tool production during the Middle Stone Age (ca. 300,000–50,000 years ago). This is reflected in the use of the Levallois technique, a distinctive method of preparing stone cores to produce flakes of a predetermined shape, characteristic of the Middle Paleolithic period.
The only Mesolithic cemetery identified so far in the Bayuda Desert is located in its central region, on the slope of Jebel El Gharra. It contains at least 16 adult burials, arranged in three or four distinct layers.
Radiocarbon dating indicates that the cemetery was in use during the 7th to 6th millennium BCE. Grave goods included shells, a stone pendant, and beads made from ostrich eggshells. A similar chronology has been established for an area known as the “Hunters’ Settlement,” located in the eastern part of the desert at the foot of Jebel El-Fuel. At this site, archaeologists uncovered nearly 300 fragments of animal bones, around 3,400 stone artifacts, and approximately 2,000 pieces of pottery. All the bones belonged to wild, hunted animals and have been radiocarbon-dated to around 6000 BCE.
Archaeological work at site BP 1044 (Hunters’ Settlement). Photo by Henryk Paner.
Source:
