Neolithic Pottery from the Third Cataract

(Mahas Region- Northern Sudan)

Abstrtac. During four seasons of the Mahas Survey project (Dept. of Archaeology, University of Khartoum), 47 prehistoric sites were recorded in the area of the Third Cataract (the southern part of the Mahas region) of which 17 were considered as Neolithic sites. The ceramic material from nine of these Neolithic sites will be considered in this paper. The ceramic collection analysed here shows wide range of variations from site to site. The analysis clearly shows that the Third Cataract sites ceramic assemblages are similar to other Neolithic sites in the Sudan. The differences occurring on some sites deserve additional investigation and may be useful in developing a temporal sequence, through a detailed study, for Third Cataract pottery.