A Condensed History of the Dakhleh Oasis – Part 2
Posted By Page Strong on January 25, 2012
Neolithic (7200-2500 BC)
Like the Nile Valley, the Dakhleh Oasis sported some of the oldest evidence of civilization. Three cultures appear in the archaeological record through this period. The first is the Masara culture. The second are the two Bashendi cultures, Bashendi A and B. The third is the Sheikh Muftah culture, which extends into the Nile Valley period of the Old Kingdom.
The Masara culture appears to be nomadic, the archaeological record consisting only of some small stone rings and lithic scatters. The stone rings are interpreted as the bases of huts. After the Masara culture disappears, there is a gap in the archaeological record of five hundred years before the next culture, the Bashendi culture, appears.[1]
There are a number of petroglyphs in the Dakhleh Oasis, and though they are difficult to date, they are attributed to the Neolithic in general. Many of these petroglyphs, or carved rock art, are unidentifiable, while others show people, anthropomorphic images, and animals. Some of these animals are indicative of the climate in the predynastic periods, such as the giraffe.[2] There are also bovine figures, indicating either domesticates or wild herds.[3] These petroglyph sites are occasionally related to artifacts or structures, such as sites with potsherds, lithic artifacts, and shelters.[4]
The earliest cultural materials found in Dakhleh date from approximately 6000 B.C., however there is a break of a few hundred years of cultural data around 4800 B.C. and could indicate two unique cultures occupying Dakhleh at different times.[5] These two cultures, known as Bashendi A and Bashendi B are different also in their cultural patterns. The Bashendi A culture appears to have nomadic indicators. The sites attributed to Bashendi A are mostly lithic scatters with the occasional hearth. A few Bashendi A sites include stone slab structures. These have been identified as hut foundations.[6] The lithics used include bifaces such as arrowheads, knives, and scrapers, though the latter two items were fewer in number. Grinding stones were also found, indicating a knowledge of grain-based food production. Items such as beads, shells, and labrets, a type of body jewelry, were also found. Very few ceramics are attested to this time period, and most of those pieces that have been found are of a non-local manufacture, indicating trade. The few local ceramics that have been found are fired, thick-walled vessels, often without decoration. Those vessels that were decorated sported geometric designs.[7]
The Bashendi B culture is much the same, though concentrated in a smaller area within the oasis than the Bashendi A culture, and with evidence they may have engaged in animal husbandry. In addition to these differences, the pottery production seems to focus on thinner walled vessels, though the designs are the same.[8] These two cultures are so distinctly similar, yet are separated by a few hundred years, which prompted scientists to classify them as A and B, indicating they are the same culture but different time periods.[9]
The culture following Bashendi B is known as Sheikh Muftah. Bashendi B and Sheikh Muftah both coincide with Neolithic periods Badarian and the Naqada periods in the Nile Valley, whereas Bashendi A is unique with no contemporary culture in the Nile Valley.[10] The Sheikh Muftah period is identified by shale-tempered pottery wares and works from Hierakonpolis.[11]
[1] Bard, Kathryn A. Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. New York: Routledge, 1999. p. 268.
[2] Butzer, Karl W. “Desert Environments” The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (e-reference edition). Ed. Donald B. Redford. Oxford University Press. University of Memphis Libraries. 29 November 2011. http://www.oxford-ancientegypt.com/entry?entry=t176.e0183.
[3] Kuciewicz, Ewa. “Section 1. Petroglyphs” in Dakhleh Oasis Project Prehistory Group: 2008 Final Report. 2008. p.2
[4] Kuciewicz, Ewa. “Section 1. Petroglyphs.” p. 3.
[5] Warfe, Ashten R. “Cultural Origins of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic: An Evaluation of the Evidence from the Dakhleh Oasis (South Central Egypt)” in The African Archaeological Review Vol. 29. Springer, 2003. p. 178.
[6] Warfe, Ashten R. “Cultural Origins of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic…” p. 179.
[7] Warfe, Ashten R. “Cultural Origins of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic…” p. 180-182.
[8] Warfe, Ashten R. “Cultural Origins of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic…” p. 182-183.
[9] Warfe, Ashten R. “Cultural Origins of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic…” p. 178.
[10] Warfe, Ashten R. “Cultural Origins of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic…” p. 179.
[11] Warfe, Ashten R. “Cultural Origins of the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic…” p. 193.
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