Adaima

Abstract

The site of Adaima is crucial for understanding the Predynastic cultures of Upper Egypt. Located 8 km south from the modern city of Esna, Adaima occupies an area of 35 ha and consists of a large settlement and two necropoleis. It was occupied from the end of Naqada I (ca. 3900 BCE ) to the 3rd Dynasty (ca. 2700).

Ancient and modern DNA reveal dynamics of domestication and cross-continental dispersal of the dromedary

“…The absence of genetic structure between WNAF and NAP (ϕ ST = 0.006; P < 0.001; F ST = −0.002; P > 0.05) points to an extensive exchange of dromedaries introduced into northeastern Africa from the Arabian Peninsula via the Sinai (SI Appendix, Fig. S4), possibly starting in the early first millennium BCE and intensifying in the Ptolemaic period (1,17). From here, dromedaries spread across northern Africa, but their adoption into local economies may have been slow, considering that the first unequivocal evidence for their presence in northwestern Africa comes from archaeological layers dating to the fourth to the seventh century CE (Late Antiquity/Early Middle Ages) (SI Appendix).…”

“…Based on the available zooarchaeological records, it is assumed that the wild one-humped camel did not survive the start of the CE (8,9,12,14), in contrast to the wild ancestors of most other livestock species (15,16). Small numbers of domesticated dromedaries likely arrived in Mesopotamia by the second quarter of the first millennium BCE, but there, as well as in northeast Africa, larger herds appeared only during Late Antiquity and/or early medieval times (fourth to seventh centuries CE) (1,11,17). If its use as "camelry" in warfare was minor compared with the horse (1), the dromedary was readily adopted as beast of burden and continued fulfilling this role well into the 20th century CE in caravans sometimes encompassing thousands of animals (18,19).…”

Old World camels in a modern world – a balancing act between conservation and genetic improvement

“…After their domestication on the Arabian Peninsula, small numbers of dromedaries arrived in Mesopotamia and from there were probably introduced into northeastern Africa via the Sinai, possibly starting in the first millennium BCE. Larger herds in northern Africa appeared only during the fourth to seventh centuries CE (Late Antiquity/Early Middle Ages), where their adoption into local economies may have been slow (Bulliet 1975;Midant-Reynes & Braunstein-Silvestre 1977). Another possible route for dromedary introduction into Africa might have involved a transfer from the south of the Arabian Peninsula by boat via the Gulf of Aden to Eastern Africa or further north across the Red Sea to Egypt (Fig.…”

An Analysis of Two Theories Proposing Domestic Goats, Sheep, and Other Goods Were Imported into Egypt by Sea During the Neolithic Period

“…17 Chalcolichic cultures had developed from che end of che sixth millennium BCE onw,trds." 18 Her argument gains much ofics power from the simultaneous appearance of copper and turquoise in Egypt, especially since deposits ofboth are found so close together in the Sinai. Turquoise was mined ,u Serabic el-Khadim (Figure 2) and copper ac Wadi N asb, which arc separated by only 6 km.…”

“…All are from the Levant, and, since all appeared in Lower Egypt at the same time, they must have arrived by the same route. 13 Fourth, the sutement chat «The e,trliesc known examples lgoats and sheep], at Merimdc and in che Fayum, arc unlikely co be earlier than about 6000 BP,"h is misleading. The bcginning of the Neolithic in Lower Egypt may begin a bit earlier, at c. 6480 BP, and since the Lower Egypci,m Epipaleolichic Period may h,tve ended c. 7440 BP," there is ,thiatus in the archaeological record at che same time goats and shccp would have appeared in Lower Egypt.…”