Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (19.2007(2010))

FOURTH CATARACT

SUDAN

The body was aligned N-S with the head
to the south facing west. It lay in contracted
position with legs bent and feet by the pelvis.
Both arms were bent at the elbows, the hands
resting against the face. A deep bowl with
engraved wavy line running seven times
around the vessel stood by the head.
A necklace of ostrich-eggshell beads
alternating with cylindrical faience ones was
found in the section of the upper body.
A bracelet of ostrich-eggshell beads and one
stone bead encircled the right wrist.
The last of the graves (El-Ar P1 /10) to be
investigated turned out to be disturbed by
plunderers, who destroyed part of the
superstructure. An inner ring of stones in the
grave pit covered the burial in part. Bones in
the upper section of the skeleton were in
disarray. The body had been deposited on its

left side, the head to the east and facing
north. The arms were bent at the elbow with
the hands at the face. A ceramic blacktop
bowl was deposited by the head.
Stone structures of unclear function were
discovered in association with graves 3,4 and
5 (structure A), and between graves 7, 8 and
10 (structure B). They were contemporary
with the burial ground. Inside the structures
there were sizable collections of sherds, the
pottery being typical of the Old Kush II
period (El-Tayeb, Kolosowska 2003).
Frequent constituents of this assemblage
included thin-walled bowls with a band of
engraved decoration at the widest body
diameter and vessels with an ornament either
just below the rim or on the bottom.
Concentrations of human bones were also
found in the context of these two structures.


Fig 6. Grave El-ArP 1/9 during exploration
(Photo M. Jawornicki)

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Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007