Done with fish? A diachronic study of fishing in the Holocene Nile basin of Sudan

Abstract

The Nile valley of northern and mainly Central Sudan is renowned for its Early and Middle Holocene archaeological sites, with plentiful remains of fish and other aquatic fauna. However, at younger sites, after the Neolithic (after ca. 3500/3000 cal BC), fish bones are not found in any significant numbers. A lack of fishing near a large water basin seems counter-intuitive. In this paper we investigate whether fish consumption really lost importance in Sudan through time, based on a synthesis of the available archaeozoological data, and referring also to modern fisheries data for the region. Taphonomy, research methods, as well as environmental, economic and socio-cultural factors are considered in order to explain trends that can be observed. We argue that, while all of these factors played a role, the end of the African Humid Period at ca. 3500 cal BC and the disappearance of wetlands as a consequence was the most important factor. The data presented include newly obtained results from archaeozoological studies at Mesolithic and Neolithic sites near Al Khiday, which cover a sequence between ca. 7000 and 4000 cal BC.