User:Iamtired45/Esh shaheinab

Pottery
Hunting-fishing-gathering groups can be attributed with the beginnings of pottery making in Sudan. Early pottery was manufactured by "semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers". With the increase of more permanent establishments, ceramic technologies grew to meet the need to store locally procured foods such as cereals and fish. The Khartoum Neolithic (5000-3800 BC) (also called Shaheinab Neolithic) is a tradition that grew alongside these permanent sites and was established with the excavation of Esh Shaheinab by Arkell. Khartoum Neolithic can be classified based on the features of material culture and specifically the presence of dotted-wavy line pottery.

Dotted-wavy line pottery is a pottery type distinguished from wavy line pottery by Arkell, who's criteria for this distinction has since been criticized.

Categorization of this type was made mostly on how to pottery was decorated, resulting in unclear lines between similar styles. For example, there is much crossover between Wavy line pottery and Dotted-wavy line pottery in terms of the techniques used to make them.* In the 1980's, analysis and organization of pottery types began to be based on more objective terms (like decorative techniques, material use, and manufacturing process). This has allowed a more systematic study of pottery in archaeology.*

Dotted-wavy line pottery was once believed to be developed from wavy line pottery but that has also since been dismissed. Many archaeologist have suggested cultural continuity amongst the "Nilo-Sahara-Sahel Belt" due to similarities in pottery and other material culture across these regions. Many attribute the continuity in pottery traditions as well as other innovations in material culture to be indicative of contact across regions. Concrete archaeological evidence has yet o be produced to allows make a definite conclusion and many argue against it based on the local derivation of materials for both pottery and lithic artifacts. However, plenty of archaeologist say a connection amongst Sudanese communities was possible due to the presence of material sources from far places.

Pottery in Esh Shaheinab is characteristic of three main traditions: Early Khartoum, Neolithic, and Late Neolithic. The majority of pot shards from Esh Shaheinab are Neolithic, while less are Early Khartoum, and the least are Neolithic. Each phase is distinguished by material use, processing, and decoration type with similarities spanning across all three.

Early Khartoum
The pottery from Esh Shaheinab that is considered of the Early Khartoum is limited. It originates from a time period in which food production had not begun yet in Africa.*seventy years*

In terms of its composition, Early Khartoum pottery was medium-grained and more heterogeneous in make-up.*what do we see**endless glory* Quartz, feldspar, and mica were found in pottery of this kind as these were common minerals in Esh Shaheinab geology.

The clay was processed with organic materials (flat fibres) and unburnished.*what do we see*

Early Khartoum are the thickest of the three traditions, with an average of 10 mm, but it uses the same coiling technique that all three display.*endless glory**what do we see* This pottery was impressed using the rocker stamping technique producing zigzags and the dotted-wavy line pattern.*what do we see* This technique produced two notable variants under the dotted-wavy line category known as shallow dotted waves and angular dotted waves.*wavyline* These decorations spanned the entire surface of the pot (besides the bottom) which is more unique to Shaheinab.*arkell**prehistory*

Neolithic
The Neolithic pottery from Esh Shaheinab is the most notable collection from the site as it is the most discussed and most abundant.*endlessglory* During this time, pastoralism had begun to become more frequent in Africa and could've had affects on hunter-fisher-gatherer communities in Eastern Africa, like Esh Shaheinab.

Neolithic pottery in Shaheinab was made from more homogeneous clays with high rates of quartz.*endlessglory* It had mostly fine clay texture as well, distinguishing it from Early Khartoum examples.

Tempering occurred with organic materials, like that of Early Khartoum, except they tended to be tubular fibres (likely dung).*whatdowesee*

The Neolithic pottery from Shaheinab tended to be thinner, around 5mm, and came in a greater variety of shapes.*whatdowesee**seventyyears* Despite this, they use the same coiling technique as Early Khartoum examples. The most distinct feature of Neolithic (and late Neolithic) is burnishing.*arkell* Burnishing was done to all Neolithic pots with the most frequent being red burnishing on the outside, with the next most frequent being black burnishing.*endlessglory* Some of the pots also displayed black tops.*prehistory**endlessglory* Another particular feature of Neolithic and later traditions is the reduced frequency of decoration. Where all Early Khartoum pottery was decorated over the whole surface, it is not uncommon to see undecorated pottery from the Neolithic. Some only contains decorations around the rim.*seventyyears**endlessglory* The decorations that are exemplified in this tradition are highly varied, comprising packed vees and dots, paired lines, and dotted-wavy lines. Like the decorations, the techniques are also highly varied. Rocker stamping is implemented as well as a tool with unevenly serrated edges, and pivoting stamping. *endlessglory**whatdowesee*

Late Neolithic
The Late Neolithic pottery from this site is less abundant than that of the Neolithic. It is from a time that is more associated with pastoralism in which communities like Esh Shaheinab most likely had contact in some way with pastoralist communities.

Late Neolithic pottery resembles the Early Khartoum from this site in the sense that its clay is more heterogeneous but, it did have exclusively fine clay texture.*whatdowesee**endlessglory*

Tempering also occurred in this tradition with tubular fibres.

Late Neolithic pottery was similar to Neolithic in its thickness and technique in manufacturing. However, its decorative techniques do not exemplify the extensive variety seen in the previous culture. Burnishing was very common amongst Late Neolithic pottery shards with the most frequent being black burnishing then dark red-brown. Undecorated pottery is even more frequent than in the Neolithic collection.*endlessglory* Decorations tend to be more standardized and was frequently done with the incision technique.*endlessglory**whatdowesee*