Jebel Moya (Sudan): new dates from a mortuary complex at the southern Meroitic frontier.
This paper proposes a new chronology for the burial complex at Jebel Moya, south-central Sudan. It reassesses the body of evidence from Sir Henry Wellcome's original 1911-1914 excavations in order to place the site within a firm chronological framework by: (a) applying an attribute-based approach to discern discrete pottery assemblages; and (b) applying initial OSL dates to facilitate the reliable dating of this site for the first time. Jebel Moya is re-interpreted as a burial complex situated on the southern periphery of the late Meroitic state, and its potential to serve as a chronological and cultural reference point for future studies in south-central and southern Sudan is outlined.
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PY, United Kingdom.
Michael
M
Brass
Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom.
Jean-Luc
JL
Schwenniger
Jebel Moya; Meroe; OSL dating; Sudan; cemeteries; ceramics