Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (18.2006(2008))

MtoM - MEROWE SHERIQ, TANQASI, ZUMA

SUDAN

EARLY MAKURIA RESEARCH PROJECT:
THE POTTERY

Edyta Klimaszewska-Drabot

The present report concerns the pottery
assemblage collected daring the second
season of the Early Makuria Research
Project (MtoM), which took place in
January-February 2006 (see above, report by
W. Godlewski in this volume).1 The work
was carried out in the fort of Merowe Sheriq

and at the cemetery in Tanqasi,
contributing new data on these little known
sites. Like el-Zuma investigated in the
previous season (El-Tayeb 2005), the sites
now investigated promise to provide
important information on the formative
stages of the kingdom of Makuria.

POTTERY FROM MEROWE SHERIQ

Four sites were identified at the fort of
Merowe Sheriq and in the neighborhood:
the fort Msh.l, neighboring settlement
Msh.2, well Msh.3 and Christian burial
ground Msh.4 (see above, report by
W Godlewski in this volume). Most of the
pottery was collected from the surface inside

if if
Msh.l.036
0
L
5cm
1 1 1 1 I

the fort (215 sherds) and in the settlement
(188 sherds); 131 sherds were recovered
from a test pit dug inside the fort. The
pottery from the burial ground was
collected on the surface and from one
disturbed tomb, hence it is treated as
a single secondary context. Finally,


Fig. 1. Sherds with stamped decoration from Merowe Sheriq
(Photo W. Godlewski)
1 Original drawings by A. Blaszczyk, E. Klimaszewska-Drabot, B. Wojciechowski; digitized by E. Klimaszewska-
Drabot.

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