Mermide Culture | Predynastic Period
Mermide Culture
The Merimde culture was identified on the basis of studies on a single site, i.e. the Merimde Beni-Salame settlement located on the south-western edge of the Nile Delta, some 60 kilometers north-west of Cairo. Throughout its entire history (at least 400 years), the settlement occupied a total area of approximately 20 hectares, but not necessarily at all times.
Because of the meandering and withdrawals of the Nile the size of the settlement changed periodically. Every now and then its inhabitants would be forced to leave their homes and move elsewhere. The Merimde Beni-Salame settlement grew both horizontally and vertically. K.W. Butzer (1976) is of the opinion that if the entire site was ever inhabited at the same time, the number of inhabitants would have exceeded 16 thousand. According to M. Hoffman (1979: 169), who made comparisons with contemporary Egyptian villages, the number of Merimde inhabitants did not exceed 5 thousand. It should be remembered however that determining the population of a settlement is a challenging process and depends on the method followed. In the case of Merimde, both figures do not seem convincing.
If one assumes that the settlement was settled on a rotational basis, then identifying the number of inhabitants at one time is either dramatically difficult or downright impossible for the lack of certain data (what part of the settlement was in fact inhabited during that time and for how long?).
The research at Merimde Beni-Salame was carried out by H. Junker from 1927/28 to the outbreak of the 2nd World War. In 1976 it was continued by Z. Hawass (Hawass et al. 1988: 32) and then from 1977 to 1980 by J. Eiwanger (1984; 1988; 1992).
H. Junker (1929-1940) identified 2 settlement phases in Merimde, separated by a transition phase. However, through more meticulous and methodologically correct studies, J. Eiwanger fine-tuned Junker’s division and identified 3 functional phases of the settlement in a total of 5 layers.
Mermide Culture | Phase I
-The first phase (Urschicht) was linked to the presence of an unknown culture with strong links with Levant
J. Eiwanger (1984: 61-62) linked the genesis of the Merimde culture to groups arriving from the east. According to him, somewhere near the year 7000 BC, southwest Asia suffered climate changes causing draughts. The inhabitants of affected areas were forced to migrate to the south and east, to more humid regions. The first of them to reach Merimde were kinds of reconnaissance groups who came to the Delta in search for new inhabitable areas. Because of the favorable location of the areas surrounding Merimde (fertile valleys and desert pastures) they decided to establish a permanent settlement, in particular along the main bifurcation of the Nile, where the river’s abundant resources, transportation and fertile silt-rich soils were easily available. To avoid flooding during the annual inundation of the Nile, people settled on natural sandy hills (geziras). The theory on the Levantineorigin of the Merimde community has not been fully confirmed so far. The relationships with the east are visible indirectly, e.g. in an incised herringbone decoration pattern on the local pottery, a bifacial surface retouch and early forms of polishing. Also, there are similarities between terracotta figures made locally and those made in the Natufian in Southern Levant. Also the presence of animals originally domesticated in the east (cattle, pigs, goats and sheep) could support the theory.
-Settlement traces from the oldest phase in Merimde include remains of innumerous hearths, shallow storage pits, postholes and 15 graves. None of them formed any regular systems that could denote households or shelters. The underlying reason could be climate changes involving more precipitation, elevated water level and consequently flooding of the area.
-Phase I vessels were made of non-tempered silt. Vessel walls were thick and well burnt. The surface was either burnished, which gave it a dark pink color after burning, or smoothed which rendered brighter, orange-to-pink color. There was little diversity in vessel forms. Most of them were simple bowls with flat or rounded bottoms. The only form of pottery ornamentation was the incised herringbone pattern. In the same period ladles were manufactured as well (Eiwanger 1984: 18-39).
-The flint industry of Merimde Beni-Salame also shows the transition from the blade technique to the bifacial technique. Blade and flake tools, one or double sides retouched (endscrapers, borers, axes and arrowheads) were characteristic for phase I. Bifacial retouch was used only for making the cutting edge (e.g. axes). Considerable quantities of sickle blades have been found (Eiwanger 1984: 40-52).
-Clay figurines were discovered in Merimde as well. Materials from phase I include an anthropomorphic figurine and a fragment of a bull figurine (Eiwanger 1984: 53, pl. 63:I.1172, I.1174).
Mermide Culture | Phase II
-In phase II the settlement was inhabited by communities with strong African influences.
Organized, compact development was recorded in Merimde only in phase II, where postholes, storage pits and hearths were found. Most probably, dwellings took the form of rush and reed shelters, supported by little understood post structures.
-In phase II the role of cattle breeding increased. Agriculture was based on wheat, barley, sorghum and vetch cultivation. Due to the favorable geographical location, hunting was also an important occupation (semi-aquatic species: hippopotamuses, turtles, crocodiles, water fowl and terrestrial animals – antelopes), not unlike gathering (clams) and fishing (Wetterström 1993: 213-214).
-Phase II saw the addition of chaff to the pottery paste used for manufacturing large kitchen vessels. Burnished and smoothed pottery was still made. The forms included cups, bowls (conical and hemispherical), usually with rounded rather than flat bottoms. One characteristic feature of this phase is the lack of decoration (Eiwanger 1988: 15-33).
-Phase II was characteristic for the core industry with strong African influences. The development of the bifacial technique was still visible. Pressure retouch was commonly used. The basic tools known from Merimde include endscrapers, perforators, sickles and axes. Most axes had polished edges (Eiwanger 1988: 34-39).
Mermide Culture | Phase III
-In the opinion of J. Eiwanger the third phase (layers III/IV/V), was represented by local farmers.
Settlement layout in phase III is the most discernible. In that phase, oval or horse-shoe shaped shelters were erected. They were fitted with wind shields with an entrance from the south-west, partially embedded in the ground. Walls were built of irregular lumps of mud mixed with chaff, and then their height was increased by organic materials (tree branches, reed or straw). Roofs were supported by a centrally located pole. As no entrance was provided in the wall, entering the shelter involved the use of special stairs propped against the internal wall. Shelters were 1.6 to 3m in diameter and were embedded to a depth of approx. 40cm.
-Inside shelters, researchers found remains of hearths, embedded water vessels, mortars, hollows left by other vessels, as well as large, oval or round baskets embedded in the ground, most probably used for grain storage. In some shelters rows of small pits were found, most probably indicating the presence of partitions separating various functional areas inside the household.
Mud-lined storage pits were located outside shelters, accompanied by large storage vessels.
Another characteristic of the third phase are light-weight shields offering protection against wind and sun during various activities, such as cooking. Animal yards were enclosed by means of thorny branches (Eiwanger 1984: 9-14; 1988: 9-14; 1992: 8-13).
Mud-lined storage pits were located outside shelters, accompanied by large storage vessels.
Another characteristic of the third phase are light-weight shields offering protection against wind and sun during various activities, such as cooking. Animal yards were enclosed by means of thorny branches (Eiwanger 1984: 9-14; 1988: 9-14; 1992: 8-13).
-Graves too were discovered at the Merimde settlement. Numerous human burials were recorded. While pre-war research brought materials from 180 graves, J. Eiwanger discovered only another 40. The dead were buried in oval, shallow pits in contracted position on the right side (85%).
Some bodies were placed on the left side or on the back. In most cases head orientation was to the north, north-east or east. Grave pits were lined with matting, and bodies were wrapped in mats or animal skins. Innumerous grave goods included animal bones (sometimes with traces of processing) and an average of two flint tools and a shell.
In some cases, grains were scattered near the deceased’s head, and the head itself and the forearms were powdered or painted with ochre.
In some cases, grains were scattered near the deceased’s head, and the head itself and the forearms were powdered or painted with ochre.
-Phase III brought gradual transition from open to closed forms, such as bottles with an unusual horizontal polishing on the neck and vertical polishing on the body, footed vessels sometimes with anthropomorphic forms, and finally miniature vessels. The inventory was dominated by pottery with a significant amount of coarse admixture. Vessels were decorated with knob-like relief and with vertical and horizontal bars or incisions consisting of several straight lines (Eiwanger 1992: 14-42).
-In phase III (layers III/IV/V) the bifacial technique was further developed.
New tools appeared, such as multiple perforators, flake scrapers, endscrapers and arrowheads with polished wings and a special form of polishing making pressure retouch easier. In this phase, specialized flint processing workshops first appeared.
-phase III brought the first human depictions known from Egypt: an anthropomorphic figurine with visible hair, eyes and breasts (Eiwanger 1992: 59, pl. 89:IV.952) and an oval, 12-centimeter head with two eye sockets, a flat nose and a small open mouth (Eiwanger 1992: 59, pl. 88: V.196).
Each developmental phase of the Merimde settlement was claimed to correspond to the development of the community itself. While between phases I and II there was a clear, unexplained interruption in the settlement activity, phases II and III constitute two stages in the development of the same community.
Agriculture and animal breeding were known to the inhabitants of all the phases at Merimde.
The basic forms of farming included cattle, sheep, pig and goat breeding.
The analysis of pottery from each consecutive phase shows only minor differences in fabric, vessel forms and decoration patterns.
Triangular concave-base arrowheads and leaf-shaped tanged arrowheads of an oval or nearly triangular outline are characteristic for all settlement phases (Eiwanger 1992: 43-58).
As far as stone goods from Merimde are concerned, one should mention those found in all the phases, i.e. hand-mills, grinding stones, basalt vessels, spindle whorls and limestone weights, as well as turquoise, agate and bloodstone beads, shield-shaped palettes and two fragments of pear-shaped maceheads made of alabaster and another hard stone. Among goods made of organic materials, particular attention is drawn to harpoons with three barbs, simple pins and awls made of bone with grooves for fastening thread, a bone fragment interpreted as a hair pin, pendants made of dog fangs, shell hooks, beads of cut ostrich eggs and ivory, an ivory bracelet and a small axe with a transverse blade, made of a hippopotamus rib (Eiwanger 1984: 53-58; 1988: 40-50; 1992: 59-71).
Agriculture and animal breeding were known to the inhabitants of all the phases at Merimde.
The basic forms of farming included cattle, sheep, pig and goat breeding.
The analysis of pottery from each consecutive phase shows only minor differences in fabric, vessel forms and decoration patterns.
Triangular concave-base arrowheads and leaf-shaped tanged arrowheads of an oval or nearly triangular outline are characteristic for all settlement phases (Eiwanger 1992: 43-58).
As far as stone goods from Merimde are concerned, one should mention those found in all the phases, i.e. hand-mills, grinding stones, basalt vessels, spindle whorls and limestone weights, as well as turquoise, agate and bloodstone beads, shield-shaped palettes and two fragments of pear-shaped maceheads made of alabaster and another hard stone. Among goods made of organic materials, particular attention is drawn to harpoons with three barbs, simple pins and awls made of bone with grooves for fastening thread, a bone fragment interpreted as a hair pin, pendants made of dog fangs, shell hooks, beads of cut ostrich eggs and ivory, an ivory bracelet and a small axe with a transverse blade, made of a hippopotamus rib (Eiwanger 1984: 53-58; 1988: 40-50; 1992: 59-71).
Sources:
The Prehistory of Egypt: From the First Egyptians to the First Pharaohs, Béatrix Midant-Reynes.
Egypt in the time of the pharaohs. Claire Lewitt.
Prehistoric ages: the forming of man. François Bon.
The Archaic Nilotic Races Inhabiting The Thebaid. Robert De Rustafjaell.
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق