Neolithic Economy and Social Relations in the Eastern Sahara

在国家科学基金会的支持下，弗雷德温多夫博士和 他的国际合作者团队将进行 东部Gebel Nabta地区的考古研究 埃及的撒哈拉沙漠。 他们将返回位于 过去的工作，并采用了一系列的策略，其中包括调查， 暴露材料的表面收集和仔细挖掘。 该遗址可追溯至新石器时代。9,000到60000 比现在早了很多年 一系列的房子特别是 重要的是，它们包含大量的小 凹陷，可能是烹饪火灾的残留物。 各持有 丰富而保存完好的花卉遗迹， 个人烹饪活动的产品。 有了这些数据， 有可能获得前所未有的洞察力生存的做法 因为植物材料能如此完美地 保存。 大规模的现场调查应提供信息 定居模式和生存战略。 新石器时代标志着许多 这是我们当今社会的特点。 第一长 长期定居点建立后，陶器首次出现在 考古记录，植物和动物被驯化。 因为这一变化如此重要，考古学家将其称为 新石器时代革命“然而， 了解是什么导致世界上许多地方的群体 从狩猎和采集的生活方式转变为 久坐的存在。 温多夫博士的工作重点是 埃及沙漠提供了一个很好的地区 因为从表面上看， 保持和干燥的气候有利于花卉保存。 这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。 它将提供 大量考古学家感兴趣的数据。 它将 间接探讨黑非洲问题及其贡献 文明的发展。 它还将揭示 导致复杂社会出现的过程。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Fred Wendorf and his international team of collaborators will conduct archaeological research in the Gebel Nabta region of the Eastern Sahara Desert in Egypt. They will return to sites located in past work and employ a series of strategies which include survey, surface collection of exposed materials and careful excavation. This site dates from the Neolithic period, ca. 9,000 to 6,0000 years before the present. A series of houses are particularly important because they contain large numbers of small depressions, probably the remains of cooking fires. Each holds abundant and well preserved floral remains which possibly are the by products of individual cooking events. With such data it is possible to gain unprecedented insight into subsistence practices since it is extremely rare for plant materials to be so well preserved. A broad scale site survey should provide information on settlement pattern and subsistence strategies. The Neolithic period marked the appearance of many of the hallmarks which characterize our society today. The first long term settlements were established, pottery first appears in the archaeological record, and plants and animals were domesticated. Because this change was so important, archaeologists refer to it as "The Neolithic Revolution." However, it is not well understood what caused groups in many parts of the world to change from a hunting and gathering way of life to a more sedentary existence. Dr. Wendorf's work focusses directly on this issue and the Egyptian desert provides an excellent region for this study because sites are often visible from surface remains and the dry climate favors floral preservation. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to a large number of archaeologists. It will explore indirectly the issue of black Africa and its contribution to the development of civilization. It will also shed light on the processes which led to the emergence of complex societies.