In the November-December 2007 the fifth season of the investigations of the Polish Archaeological Mission within the concession of the Polish Centre of the Mediterranean in Cairo took place. The team directed by Dr Marek Chłodnicki from Poznan Archaeological Museum consisted of Piotr Osypiński, Marta Osypińska, Anna Longa, Ewa Kuciewicz, Eliza Jaroni, Agata Drejer, Artur Buszek, archaeologists; dr Jan Śmiełowski, zoologist, dr Dobiesława Bagińska, ceramologist; Maciej Jawornicki, photographer and Halina Chlodnicka, documentalist. The NCAM was represented by inspector Musa Elfdul Abdalla El Tayeb.
       During this season archaeological survey between El Ar (Shemkhiya) and El Gamamiya was completed. We discovered 174 new sites, dated from the Middle Palaeolithic until the modern times. It is noteworthy to mention a group of Neolithic sites near El Ar (among others large settlement covering area of 4 hectares) and two rock art galleries discovered in el-Gamamiya and Keheili. We decided to make some test excavations on several sites which on the basis of the superstructure were described as Kerma horizon cemeteries: El Ar 1 (excavated by A. Longa), El Ar 7, 29 (excavated by M. Chłodnicki) and el-Gamamiya 19 and 55 (excavated by P. Osypiński). Our work was also concentrated on documentation of rock art sites at Gebel Gurgurib and el-Gamamiya and Keheili.

El-Gamamiya st. 55
       During the survey, on the small hill between the houses, several small tumuli was discovered. Many of them were plundered. On the top of the hill, where 4 tumuli were visible on the surface, trench 10 x 10 m was located. After the cleaning the surface 12 graves of three kinds were discovered.
       First type of the grave has rather shallow, rectangular grave chambers with walls faced with bigger stones. The graves were covered with flat stones and stone and gravel mound on it. Lower part of the mound was faced with flat, stone tiles 15 cm high. The dead were equipped with pottery and other objects (bone pin, bronze knife, fayance beads).
       Second type of the grave is deeper one (up to 1 m) also with rectangular chamber. Graves were blocked by big stones. Above it was simple stone mound. Graves were furnished with pottery (also imported).
       Third type is children grave. They were rather small with rounded chamber. Sometimes they were deep up to 1 m and faced with stone tiles. Graves were blocked with flat stones and covered with small tumulus. The dead was furnished only with beads, only in grave 5 two small pots were found.
       The deceased were buried in contracted position on the right side. Traces of red ochra were recognized in the graves. In one of the graves, traces of the matt covering the dead were also found.
       Only two graves were untouched. The rest were robbed, both in ancient times an contemporary. The cemetery can be dated to Kerma Clasic period (Old Kush III)

El-Gamamiya site 19
       During the survey, the group of small tumuli, 2,5 m in diameter, was fund on the mound on the desert, south of the el-Gamamiya. On the surface of the site several fragments of pottery dated to Kerma Horizon was found. Some of the tumuli have traces of plundering. To solve the problem of the chronology of the site a test excavations were made between 2 nd and 4 th December.
       One of the graves was untouched. It contained remains of the child in a chamber digged in the rock. It was furnished with 3 pots, among them a bottle imported from Egipt, cup and decorated bowl as well as fragments of big decorated bowls. On the basis of pottery the grave can be dated to Old Kush I or II. Second excavated tumulus was plundered, and only part of the body was found, decorated with faience beads on the wrist.

El Ar site 1 (Shemkhiya)
       Site El Ar 1 ( El Al ) is located near to the modern village. Site is placed on top of the rocky elevation, close to the entrance to the enormous wadi. Surface of the hill is covered with pieces of rock. Traces of burial stone structures were visible on surface. Collection of ceramics has been recovered on the site. Recovered forms and pottery kind suggest ceramics occurrence during Old Kush period, it is possible to regard several products as to dated to meroitic and postmeroitic period.
       Excavated area was located on the top hill. During archaeological works 10 tombs were excavated.
       First excavated tomb is the tumulus with a sub-circular superstructure. The completely preserved skeleton was lying along the east-west axis, its head pointing to the east and the face turned to the south. The deceased rested in a contracted position, his legs drawn in and the hands in front of the face. Close to the deceased’s body a decorated bowl and a jar had been deposited. Besides it the deceased was equipped with 4 arrow heads and beads made of ostrich egg-shells, faience, stones and glass. Its chronology is postmeroitic.
       Other tumuli are of Kerma (Old Kush chronology) . Noteworthy are the graves where the burial pit is outlined by single row of stones and completely preserved skeleton was lying along the north-south axis with the right hand touching the ram which was deposited close to the human body. The graves sometime contained traces of red ochre. Between the grave goods are a pottery, bracelets comprising of beads made of faience and ostrich egg-shell.
       Examples of whole ram offerings accompanying a burial are known from Old Kush cemeteries in Nubia. The shapes of the tombs found in the El Ar 1 site and pottery are typical for Old Kush II period. Only grave T.1 could be dated to the meroitic period.

El Ar site 7 (Shemkhiya)
       Site El Ar 7 is located on the edge of the old branch of the Nile. It consists of a group of small, low tumuli, 3-4 m in diameter and a group of graves located between the rocks on the edge of the wadi. Three of the graves were excavated. All the graves were plundered. In grave 1 only some human bones were preserved intact. No grave goods were discovered. In grave 2 upper part of skeleton was untouched. Only potsherds of destroyed pots were discovered. We can to reconstruct the body position as a contracted on the right side with the head sheltered between the rocks.
       In the third grave inside the stone ring covered by the stone mound a small chamber surrounded with big stone blocks was located (some of them were removed). The dead, in the contracted position on the right side, has destroyed upper part of his body. Only a few small beads of ostrich egg-shell were found.

El Ar site 29 (Shemkhiya)
       The site El Ar 29 is located on the desert, between the wadis going to the ancient branch of the Nile (east to El Ar 7). Remains of two tumuli were found in the area where Neolithic settlement was functioning. Both have about 4 m in diameter. One of them it is a stone mound, the second is a tumulus with shallow robber pit inside.
       First of the grave contain a remains of a dead in much contracted position buried in narrow rock crevice, without any goods.
       In the second grave we found only rectangular grave chamber, 60 cm deep filled with stones without any remains of the body. Under the stones only one ostrich egg-shell bead was found. In the stone mound we wound 6 fragments of lower grinding stones. Chronology – probably – Kerma culture.

Rock art research

(Jebel Gurgurib) – Shemkhiya region
       In the previous, year 2006 season, a short research in this region was undertaken and one wadi was chosen for thorough documentation. In result half of its complete length had been recorded and 22 rock art sites were noted.
       In season 2007 we decided to continue our work in this area, in order to complete the documentation of the wadi into the northern direction.
       During this research numerous new petroglyphs were discovered. About 20 new rock art sites were noted. The petroglyphs are executed in perfectly visible places and varying in quantity from single represetations on single blocks to big clusters consisting of few bulders and about 10 rock depictions. They were executed mostly by packing (hammering), but also by incising and grinding, or by combinations of these techniques.
       The majority of petroglyphs depict camels (or riders on the camels) and long-horned bovids (camels heavily predominate over bovids). In one case, a scene showing rider on a horse (?) and one scene with two ostriches was found.
       According to subject-matter, style and patina petroglyphs of long-horned bovids are usually older then those of camels, although some types of cattle depictions can be contemporary with the camel motifs.

El -Gamamiya site no 67

       It’s a massive single granite hill located in E part of Gamamiya village. Petroglyphs are situated at the base, in the midle and on the top of the hill. About 30 individual places with rock art were noted. The great majority of petroglyphs represent depictions of cattle, but also human figure (in a few cases, scenes schowing human figure in association with the cattle), giraffes and antylopes (or gazelles?). The bodies are depicted in profile, both, only in outline and fully pecked. Shapes of the body of catlle show greate varation, including angular, curved and irregular forms. Greate care is taken also in rendering long and curved horns. In a few cases pendants hanging in the neck area and udder are shown.

Keheili site no 5

                Short research was carried out also in Keheili region. During the survey numerous petroglyphs on the massive hill were discovered (around 30 individual places with rock art depictions). Petroglyphs are executed on vertical rock surfaces and form kind of rock art gallery. Spectrum of petroglyph themes consists here mostly of pecked and incised cattle images, in a few cases associated with human figures. The shapes of the animal body have angular and irregular forms. Long horns are variously shaped. Coat markings or humps are rarely indicated.