Archaeology and settlement in the Third Cataract region during the Medieval and Post-Medieval periods

Abstract

This paper concentrates on the archaeology the Third Cataract Region of the Nile Valley, essentially the rocky course of the river between Tombos in the south and Kajbar in the north. The Medieval Period in Nubia can be defined as AD 500–1300, during which time the official religion was Christianity, whilst the Post-Medieval Period is AD 1300–1600, when both Christianity and Islam were present as popular religions, and there was no longer a central government in the region. The history, culture, and archaeology of both periods is presented, including material discovered during the Mahas Survey Project. For the Post-Medieval Period, the archaeology and settlement patterns are related to a model of Nubian society known from ethno-historic sources, indicating the elements which allowed that society to maintain cohesion in times of anarchy, viz. the Nubians and the ‘other’; togetherness; the organisation of settlement; and kinship. The use of these principles is tested against the archaeology of the region, in terms of several types of remains. These comprise cemeteries, for evidence of religions affiliations, including Islamisation; fortified houses (Diffis); and the ordinary houses and villages. In conclusion, the historical settlement pattern as reconstructed archaeologically is related to the Nubian classification of the landscape, and the way in which knowledge of this classification can aid in the interpretation of the archaeology is discussed.