The Italian Archaeological Mission in the Sudan (Torino University - Centro Scavi). Report for 2008

The present research – being the continuation of the historical mission carried on till 2005 under the auspices of Rome University "La Sapienza" – has resumed the excavations in the archaeological site of Jebel Barkal, ancient Napata, near modern Karima. Its working period covered the span between February 11th and 29th, having as main goal the complete clearing of the building labeled B2400. It has to be stressed that the label B2400 has been definitely attached to the building that lay near the modern road, where in 2001 features of Greek architecture turned out in our excavations. It is therefore displaced in reference to the site which was named B2400 by Timothy Kendall, and where no archaeological work has been hitherto carried out.

Head of the Mission was Prof. Alessandro Roccati, now belonging to the University of Torino, joined by Prof. Emanuele Ciampini, from the University "Ca' Foscari" of Venezia (Venice). The team included Dr. Grazyna Bakowska, Archaeologist from the University of Rzeszow (Poland), in charge of the study of ceramics; Arch. Carlo Cataldi Tassoni (Field surveyor); Mr. Sergio Barberini (Draughtsman); Mr. Giacomo Lovera for photography and restoration. The appointed official of the NCAM was Mr. Mortada Bushara Mohammed, as in the previous season. Funding for the Mission was requested from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Rector of the University of Torino granted a financial support, and the Centro Scavi e Ricerche Archeologiche di Torino (CRAST) ensured an administrative backing.

The choice of the working place was due to the suitable time and the need to achieve a good result in a period of remarkable changes. On the one side the town of Karima has increased to a considerable degree of importance after the construction of the Hamdab Dam and of the bridge; on the other side tremendous rainfalls affect more and more the ruins, in spite of any restorations. A priority task is therefore to publish in the most complete form the issue of fieldwork, especially as it was eventually remarked that unrecorded excavations took place in the area and damaged in addition the scanty remaining evidence.
The present building B2400 was unknown to such an extent that it was accidentally hurt on several occasions. It was crossed by a trench devised for a telephone cable, which cut its foundation walls in North-South direction. In 2002 the erection of an ultimate barrier aimed at protecting the archaeological area, but it happened to cover a large stretch of the building, so that it became necessary to dismantle it this year in the part overlaying B2400, in order to perform an exact plan of the ancient remains. Now the restoration of the peripheral wall will mark clearly its location and introduce the visitor to the plain under the Jebel.
A check of measurements of both entrances to the East and North sides, has shown that they were identical to each other, and likewise smaller than the main one on the Western side. This observation has removed all doubts about the true existence of an Eastern access, which was found much disturbed, and confirmed the correctness of last year's discovery of the Northern access.

In order to restore and make visible the perimeter of the entire square structure, a careful clearance of the outer wall was carried out, especially of the red bricks lining its outer face and the two Northern corners, to the East and West, were recovered. In the Northern side, between the North-West corner and the access terrace, this operation led to the discovery of two secondary burials, abutting the inner mud brick wall after the removal of the outer lining in red bricks, which were used as a cover. The two deep graves were filled with pure sand, and the skeletons had their heads to the East and their face to the North, the bodies resting on the right side. The human remains were examined by an Anthropologist of the Polish Mission of the Museum of Gdansk, Mrs. Aleksandra Pudło, who recognized in them two young boys.
This discovery reminds us of a larger platform leaning against B1500 on its Eastern side (Northern half). It was observed in 1995 and 1998, but never properly excavated; nearby another secondary burial turned out in 2001, but with a different orientation. Moreover, in B2400 a deeper grave, with an orientation of the skeleton similar to those already described, was detected on the Western side of the plinth, a little off the North-Western corner, this time perpendicular to the wall. Owing to the depth of the grave, we renounced to excavate it this season and to restore the red brick lining of the wall in this place. One more corpse is probably located beside the Northern outer wall of the plinth, not far from the North-East corner. All these burials seem to belong to a time when the level of the floor had increased with reference to the original one, eventually after the destruction of the different buildings. In B2400 in particular, the top of the graves corresponds approximately with the surface of the paved road, suggesting a date in the late antiquity. No objects whatsoever were found with the corpses, which were moved to the Museum of Karima. Human bones were noticed also in some holes filled with sand on the inner side of the (mud brick) wall. It looks evident that this part of the area was used at some time as a cemetery, somehow like the tombs found by the Spanish Mission in the Abbasiya quarter and dated to the Christian period or to a transitional period between the Pagan and Christian cultures.

After this season we got some general understanding of the layout of B2400 palace. We could trace the plan of its main foundation walls, reduced everywhere to the level of the floor over the whole surface. This latter was not so high upon the ground, rising not more than a half meter. Therefore it cannot be termed a platform, but rather a higher surface which was reached by means of small ramps. On this low plinth thick walls rose both the outer wall and the inner walls (average width 1,60 m and 1,15 m) perpendicular to it. This means that the building had two storeys, and some stairs may be detected at the rear of the central court.
Such an interpretation suits a possible development of Meroitic palace architecture. On the one hand B2400 is not so much different from B100, which was excavated by Reisner in the temples area, and which seems to be aligned on a similar border line. On the other hand we are reminded of the palace at Wad Ben Naga, attributed to Queen Amanishakheto, which lay at floor level and had its entrances directly from the outside. All that stresses once more the outstanding achievement of B1500, the Palace of King Natakamani, erected to dominate the whole Napatan landscape.
A sounding effected to the North of B2400 seems to confirm that the paved road overlaying this building had its beginning along with the Northern access of B2400, once it was destroyed. We suppose that it might extend so far as the access way to the temple of Amun B500, perpendicular to it. A similar road is appearing at the base of the slope towards the Pyramids, due to drainage of rain water.

Some excavations were also undertaken in B2200 as a side work, in order to complete the survey of the room holding water basins, because they had to be interrupted at the end of the 2005 campaign. The observations allowed to close the system of the walls around the room where both basins lay, in spite of a severe destruction. Thereafter part of the building was reused as shown by the two ovens on the South side of the wall, and a lot of pottery for bread. Near the smaller basins (South), we found, in a lower level, two rooms with evidence of fire.

A survey of the decorated potsherds from the explored Meroitic area is getting on; while the pottery from B2400 looks peculiar, the one from Natakamani's palace (B1500) conforms to features spread as far as B2200. Some nice decorated pottery fragments were recovered in the digging, for example one with the motif of two frogs facing an ankh-sign.

We have to complain that, owing to the proximity of the modern town, the area of B2400 is invaded by refuse; and we hope that the local authorities will stop this mishabit. During the excavations at B2400 our Mission did much work to protect the monument and keep it visible, and such restorations were also useful to confirm many details of the ancient brickwork. At any rate it must be stressed that the whole archaeological area, now classed by UNESCO, needs restorations and upkeep, much more than a little Mission like ours can sustain.
In spite of its short period and heavy financial problems, the work of this season was again extremely successful, due to the richness of the area and to the kind reception of our Sudanese hosts, whom we thank once more.

LA MISSIONE ARCHEOLOGICA ITALIANA IN SUDAN
DELL'UNIVERSITA' DI TORINO (CENTRO SCAVI)