Sites with Holocene dung deposits in the Eastern Desert of Egypt: Visited by herders?

Linseele, Veerle; Marinova, Elena; Neer, Wim Van; Vermeersch, Pierre

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.04.014

Cited by 34 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While a report analysing the large amounts of animal dung found in the Sodmein Cave has in the meantime also become available (Linseele et al 2010), a full description of the bone remains has never been published (Table 6). In view of their importance, the present report on Holocene Sodmein will therefore provide the necessary details on the actual osteological evidence for domesticates (additional data are given in Online Resource 4).…”

Section: Faunal Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are no obvious changes in the faunal composition from the oldest Holocene horizons to the younger ones Organic deposits, mainly composed of dung, are especially extensive in the Ahorizon, with an accumulation in the gully depression up to 50 cm thick, over a surface of at least 50 m 2 . Several combined arguments suggest that the dung deposits were produced by domesticated caprines: the size and weight of the individual pellets, the (Linseele et al 2010). Caprines were presumably penned in the cave, a practice that is attested both archaeologically and ethnographically elsewhere (see references in Linseele et al 2010).…”

Section: Faunal Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several combined arguments suggest that the dung deposits were produced by domesticated caprines: the size and weight of the individual pellets, the (Linseele et al 2010). Caprines were presumably penned in the cave, a practice that is attested both archaeologically and ethnographically elsewhere (see references in Linseele et al 2010). However, Sodmein Cave is the first archaeological example from the Egyptian Eastern Desert.…”

Section: Faunal Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From the Holocene layers A and C, a total of 17 dung pellets have been analysed macrobotanically (Linseele et al 2010). The methodology of Kühn and Hadorn (2004) was followed, with slight modifications.…”

Section: Plant Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Early and Middle Holocene Human Occupation of the Egyptian Eastern Desert: Sodmein Cave

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Faunal Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Faunal Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Faunal Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Plant Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Early and Middle Holocene Human Occupation of the Egyptian Eastern Desert: Sodmein Cave

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is because animal and plant micro-and macro-remains, having passed through an animal's gut, may survive as a consequence of natural desiccation, partial mineralisation, or both. The resultant coprolites may be representative of the prey species, local and regional vegetation and agriculture (Linseele et al 2010(Linseele et al , 2013Wallace and Charles 2013). For example, a recent study, using seeds and pollen from dung excreted by modern cattle and sheep, provided a faithful representation of the local vegetation (Schepers and Van Haaster 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The utility of livestock dung for reconstructing recent ethnological and environmental histories

Blas

Bartolomé²,

Strömberg

et al. 2016

Environmental Archaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Animal dung is evaluated here as a tool to reconstruct recent societal and environmental changes. Studies completed on the macro-and micro-contents from dung deposited in a mountain cave in Catalonia during the 1970-1980s, preceding the socio-economic changes in the area, was supplemented by the testimony of the last shepherd alive in the area. This information was also compared with evidence from aerial photographs of the area surrounding the cave taken in 1956 and 2009. Although taphonomic distortion of the dung shape precluded its assignment to its producers based on morphology, information from the organic remains reflects the agro-pastoral activities in the mountainous area of the Catalan coast. A lack of calcium phosphate and abundant phytolith and epidermal remains from wild species indicates that the dung was excreted by ovicaprines, who sheltered in the cave during spells of adverse weather. These indicators also signify that the animals fed only on natural vegetation. Insect remains in the dung include fragments of chafers, dung and ground beetles, bees and ants, and whilst the latter may have foraged in the cave, the others may have been accidentally ingested by herbivores. The nannofossils and diatoms found in the dung derive from tertiary crops 4 km away from the cave but within the range of the ovicaprine herd. The lack of cereal and vegetable remains in the dung is consistent with the ethnographic record that shepherds and farmers could not afford to supplement the herds' diet with fodder crops or grain, a consequence of the low productivity of the local subsistence agriculture. This study further discusses the socio-economic impacts of the introduction of intensive farming, industrialisation and tourism in Catalonia during the latter part of the last century and how they are represented in the dung.

show abstract

Rare Holocene sediment deposits from Sodmein Playa (Eastern Desert, Egypt)—Stratigraphic assessment and environmental setting

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sodmein Playa is one of the rare Pleistocene open‐air sites in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Based on the associated stone artefact material, it could be assigned to the Middle Stone Age/Last Interglacial. However, it has not yet been possible to clarify whether the sediments at the basin originated during the Pleistocene or later during Holocene wet phases. Our integrative approach combining Optically Stimulated Luminescence chronology, and cryptotephra analysis, allows us to link the environmental archive of Sodmein Playa with the site of Sodmein Cave. Sodmein Playa indicates wetter climate conditions starting around 9 ka with a (relative) maximum around 7 ka, in line with the general framework of the Holocene Humid Period in Northeast Africa. Despite the climatic similarity, regional environmental differences can still be identified and the effective available water around Sodmein Playa is reduced. The results are well integrated into the current archaeological knowledge with the change from hunter‐gatherers to herders during the Holocene in the area. Analyses of cryptotephra reveal a wide range of source regions, including Eastern and Central Anatolian, the Azores, and the Aegean, as well as those which remain uncorrelated. A tentative correlation with the Holocene cryptotephra record from Sodmein Cave is established.

show abstract

Sites with Holocene dung deposits in the Eastern Desert of Egypt: Visited by herders?

Cited by 34 publications

References 18 publications

Early and Middle Holocene Human Occupation of the Egyptian Eastern Desert: Sodmein Cave

Early and Middle Holocene Human Occupation of the Egyptian Eastern Desert: Sodmein Cave

The utility of livestock dung for reconstructing recent ethnological and environmental histories

Rare Holocene sediment deposits from Sodmein Playa (Eastern Desert, Egypt)—Stratigraphic assessment and environmental setting

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About