Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Chronology, Sediments, and Subsistence at Merimda Beni Salama

1988; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 74; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/030751338807400104

2514-0582

Zahi Hawass, Fekri A. Hassan, Achilles Gautier,

Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies

Test excavation at Merimda Beni Salama indicates initial occupation of the site during the early part of the fifth millennium Be. Subsistence was based on the exploitation of cattle, sheep/goats, pigs, fish, hippopotamus, and on the cultivation of wheat and barley. Both flake and bifacial tools were utilized; the bifacial tools include foliate ‘knives’, sickles, and a concave-based triangular point. The assemblage shows close affinity to the Fayum Neolithic, which dates to the same period. Both the Fayum and Merimda Neolithic antedate the predynastic sites in the Nagada region. The initial occupation at Merimda followed a wet period with increased run off, but conditions during the occupation were, in general, arid.