DOI issue:
Sudan
DOI article:Obłuski, Artur: Remarks on a survey of the tumuli field at el-Zuma: appendix
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42090#0404
MtoM - ZUMA
SUDAN
GROUP I
Huge conical tumuli completely covered
with stones. Their diameters range from 25 to
53 m and height from 6 to 13.5 m. [Fig. 9].
The stones do not exceed 35 x25 x 15 cm
in size, most of them measuring 25 x 20 x
15 cm. They vary from black and gray to
red and brown, as far as color is concerned.
Each of the tumuli from this group, except
for tumulus 8, has a sandstone rubble heap
at the southern side. These the SDRS team
identified as "remnants of a structure made
of articulated sandstone blocks",22 but our
investigations failed to confirm the presence
of any such structure. To my mind, the
rubble heaps seem to be evidence of robbery.
All of them occurred on the south side of
the tumuli where it is now believed that the
main burial chambers were located.
Tumuli of this group were scattered a-
round the perimeter of the cemetery.
GROUP II
Medium size tumuli without stone coat.
They are between 21 and 31 m in diameter
and reach a height from 0.80 to 2.00 m
[Fig. 10]. The mounds were made of sand
with a large quantity of gravel.
A ring of stones held the mound in place,
but the center of the tumulus was probably
left uncovered [Fig. 11; for a ground plan,
cf. Fig. 4]. The shaft is M-shaped with two
chambers, the southern one with the actual
burial and the western one with the grave
offerings. These tumuli were concentrated
more to the center of the burial ground, as
were the also tumuli representing the next
and last group.
GROUP III
Flat-topped mounds built of sand and
finely-grained, but less abundant gravel
[cf. Fig. 10]. Their diameter is between 9
and 20 m, height rises up to 0.70 m. Stone
rings were constructed at ground level only
around the perimeter of the mound [Fig. 12;
for a ground plan, cf. Fig. 6], The shaft is rec-
tangular in shape with a single burial cham-
ber situated on the west side of the shaft.
***
All of the tumuli were evidently robbed,
either burrowing straight to the main
burial chamber from the southern end, as
in the case of the Group I tumuli, or through
vertical pits dug into the center of a tumulus
(as evidenced by hollows in the central part
of the Group II and III tumuli).
According to Mahmoud el-Tayeb, tumu-
lus 7 was penetrated sometime in the past
four years. A square pit was dug in its
southern flank and the contents — sand,
sandstone and several dozen pieces of mud
brick, as well as big flat stones — dumped
nearby. The bricks can be divided by size
into three groups: 27 x 17 x 7.5 cm; 38-40
x 18 x 7.5 cm; 40 x 12 x 7.5 cm. They bear
traces of building mortar containing mostly
reddish, crushed sandstone. Two bricks merit
interest. One has a round cut, 13 cm in dia-
meter, another a square cut in its face. The
stone blocks, as can be inferred from their
size (55 x 33 x 8 cm; 75 x 65 x 15 cm; 45 x
35 x 23 cm), probably came from the block-
age of the burial chamber.
Apart from the tumuli the team docu-
mented several stone structures, which ap-
peared to be graves. Most of them were a-
ligned E-W, but there were some that were
oriented N-S (in a few cases the orientation
was impossible to ascertain). This feature
permits them to be regarded as either
Christian (E-W) or Muslim (N-S) burials.
All of these structures were located in the
northern part of the site, in the vicinity of
tumuli 6, 7, 8 and 11.
22 B. Zurawski et al., Survey and Excavations between Old Dongola and Ez-Zuma (Warsaw 2003), 380.
402
SUDAN
GROUP I
Huge conical tumuli completely covered
with stones. Their diameters range from 25 to
53 m and height from 6 to 13.5 m. [Fig. 9].
The stones do not exceed 35 x25 x 15 cm
in size, most of them measuring 25 x 20 x
15 cm. They vary from black and gray to
red and brown, as far as color is concerned.
Each of the tumuli from this group, except
for tumulus 8, has a sandstone rubble heap
at the southern side. These the SDRS team
identified as "remnants of a structure made
of articulated sandstone blocks",22 but our
investigations failed to confirm the presence
of any such structure. To my mind, the
rubble heaps seem to be evidence of robbery.
All of them occurred on the south side of
the tumuli where it is now believed that the
main burial chambers were located.
Tumuli of this group were scattered a-
round the perimeter of the cemetery.
GROUP II
Medium size tumuli without stone coat.
They are between 21 and 31 m in diameter
and reach a height from 0.80 to 2.00 m
[Fig. 10]. The mounds were made of sand
with a large quantity of gravel.
A ring of stones held the mound in place,
but the center of the tumulus was probably
left uncovered [Fig. 11; for a ground plan,
cf. Fig. 4]. The shaft is M-shaped with two
chambers, the southern one with the actual
burial and the western one with the grave
offerings. These tumuli were concentrated
more to the center of the burial ground, as
were the also tumuli representing the next
and last group.
GROUP III
Flat-topped mounds built of sand and
finely-grained, but less abundant gravel
[cf. Fig. 10]. Their diameter is between 9
and 20 m, height rises up to 0.70 m. Stone
rings were constructed at ground level only
around the perimeter of the mound [Fig. 12;
for a ground plan, cf. Fig. 6], The shaft is rec-
tangular in shape with a single burial cham-
ber situated on the west side of the shaft.
***
All of the tumuli were evidently robbed,
either burrowing straight to the main
burial chamber from the southern end, as
in the case of the Group I tumuli, or through
vertical pits dug into the center of a tumulus
(as evidenced by hollows in the central part
of the Group II and III tumuli).
According to Mahmoud el-Tayeb, tumu-
lus 7 was penetrated sometime in the past
four years. A square pit was dug in its
southern flank and the contents — sand,
sandstone and several dozen pieces of mud
brick, as well as big flat stones — dumped
nearby. The bricks can be divided by size
into three groups: 27 x 17 x 7.5 cm; 38-40
x 18 x 7.5 cm; 40 x 12 x 7.5 cm. They bear
traces of building mortar containing mostly
reddish, crushed sandstone. Two bricks merit
interest. One has a round cut, 13 cm in dia-
meter, another a square cut in its face. The
stone blocks, as can be inferred from their
size (55 x 33 x 8 cm; 75 x 65 x 15 cm; 45 x
35 x 23 cm), probably came from the block-
age of the burial chamber.
Apart from the tumuli the team docu-
mented several stone structures, which ap-
peared to be graves. Most of them were a-
ligned E-W, but there were some that were
oriented N-S (in a few cases the orientation
was impossible to ascertain). This feature
permits them to be regarded as either
Christian (E-W) or Muslim (N-S) burials.
All of these structures were located in the
northern part of the site, in the vicinity of
tumuli 6, 7, 8 and 11.
22 B. Zurawski et al., Survey and Excavations between Old Dongola and Ez-Zuma (Warsaw 2003), 380.
402