Holocene paleoenvironmental, paleoclimatic and geoarchaeological significance of the Sheikh El-Obeiyid area (Farafra Oasis, Egypt)

Abstract

The present paper focuses on the combination of archaeological and geological data sets in order to obtain a synthesis of Holocene occupational and environmental history in the Sheikh El-Obeiyid region of the Farafra Depression, Egypt. In this region, the Epipalaeolithic and Saharan Pastoral Neolithic sites are distributed along different landscape elements of the Sheikh El-Obeiyid Plateau, escarpment and Bir El-Obeiyid Depression, respectively. Three phases of playa formation were recorded at the Bir El-Obeiyid basin and at the top of the Sheikh Obeiyid Plateau, corresponding to humid conditions during the early–mid Holocene. The 14C dates obtained from the excavated hearths at Sheikh El-Obeiyid indicate the presence of three occupation phases, confirmed by the different characteristics of the lithic assemblages and playa generations: PI, PII, and PIII. Early Holocene occupation is associated with lithic artefacts of high blade and microlithic index and backed retouched tools. The Middle Holocene is represented by two occupations: the early and late middle Holocene. The former is linked with bifacial knives, gouges, discoidal side scrapers, tools with foliated retouch, and lens-shaped arrowheads. The last horizon points to a final Middle Holocene exploitation phase of the area, probably by small groups of herders who periodically visited the region when the climate had already started to deteriorate. The Sheikh El-Obeiyid Village lies on the second erosion surface of the Northern Plateau. It is characterised by 30 circular or elliptical structures, of various sizes, grouped together and located near the edge of the terrace, commanding the Bir El-Obeiyid playa below. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal recovered from the structures indicates that the village was used between 7930 ± 123 and 7930 ± 144 cal. BP.