Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (17.2005(2007))

FOURTH CATARACT - HAGAR EL-BEIDA

SUDAN
■-
Table. 1. Juxtaposition of features of tumuli from the Hagar
el-Beida 1 site, excavated in 2003
Tumulus
HB1/T5
HB1/T6
HBI/T7
HB1/T9
SUPERSTRUCTURE
Mound diameter
19-50 m
14 m
17.50 & 13.50 m
21.50 m
Mound layout
round
round
slightly oblong
(E-W)
round
Height (preserved)
1.45 m
1.10 m
1.10 m
1.40 m
Construction
sand-gravel
sand-gravel
with stone kerb
sand-gravel
sand-gravel
with stone kerb
SUBSTRUCTURE
Orientation
E-W
NW-SE
SW-NE
NW-SE
Shaft type
ramp-shaft
(dromos) with
mud-brick
construction
oval with
stone
blockage
roughly
rectangular
with stone
blockage
roughly
rectangular
with stone
blockage
Chamber layout
L-shaped
Oval
L-shaped
L-shaped
BURIAL
Body position
and orientation
N?
SE?
SE?
SW?
Grave goods
3 vessels,
jewelry (beads),
iron
2 + 5 vessels,
jewelry (beads),
iron
2 vessels,
jewelry (beads),
iron
+ 8 vessels,
jewelry (beads),
iron

mounds to about 1.40 m for the big ones.
None of the tumuli was observed to have an
external skirt or kerb construction.3 The
mounds are roughly round in plan, except
for two slightly sub-round tumuli T7 and
Til; however, in these cases the current
shape of the superstructure has proved to be
the result of long-lasting erosion. All
mounds were constructed of diagonally
sprinkled layers of dusty or sandy silt
alternating with thin layers of dark
granulated silt, deposited above a core in the
form of a small heap (max. about 2.50 m in
diameter) of light yellow gravel with

pebbles. Originally, the surface may have
been loosely clad with pebbles and gravel
(the material locally swept from the
ground), however nowadays no coat has
been noticed except for some remains
accumulated mostly around the exposed
summit.
Apart from secondary size differences,
the grave superstructures can be divided by
their internal construction features into two
main types:
Mound type 1: pure-gravel mound,
fully or partly covered with small stones.
This variant is comparable to form 1.6 in the

3 As opposed to the tumuli in the Hagar el-Beida 2 cemetery situated in a nearby wadi.

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