Banganarti
Dates of work: 8 November–22 December 2014 / 13 January–20 March 2015
Team:
Director: Assoc. Prof. Bogdan Żurawski, archaeologist (Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Polish Academy of Sciences)
NCAM representative: Abd el-Raouf Muhammad Jubara, Inspector (January–March 2015), Tamadir Ali Ebeid (November–December 2014)
Archaeologists: Jakub Brochocki (independent), Iconologist: Dr. Magdalena Łaptaś (Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, Warsaw)
Ceramologist: Aneta Cedro, archaeologist (Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Polish Academy of Sciences)
Physical anthropologist: Magdalena Bury (independent)
Architect: Katarzyna Rozmus (freelance)
Topographer: Roman Łopaciuk (freelance)
Geophysicists: Tomasz Herbich (Institute of Archaeology and Geology, Polish Academy of Sciences), Dawid Święch (freelance)
Restorer: Tadeusz Badowski (freelance)
Restoration trainee: Tamadir Ali Ebeid (NCAM, January–March 2015)
Documentalist: Katarzyna Mich, archaeologist (freelance)
Photographer: Paulina Terendy, archaeologist (freelance)
(Joint description of seasons 2014 and 2015)
The Polish archaeological project excavating at the Nubian sites of Bangnarti and Selib concentrated on uncovering domestic architecture: the northeastern and southwestern districts at medieval Christian Banganarti and selected houses of Meroitic date at Selib 2. The conservation and restoration program put finishing touches on the Raphaelion church in Banganarti and did substantial work o the remains of the earlier churches. The oldest church from Selib 1 was investigated and dated to the 6th–7th century based on a study of a well stratified ceramic assemblage.
Pottery from the northern and southern refuse dumps ranged in date from the 9th to the 12th/13th century. A group of liturgical vessels, containing mostly small juglets and chalices, was distinguished in this assemblage. Exploration of the earlier Northern Building revealed pottery contemporaneous with the earliest phase of the church on site. Anthropological research was carried out on skeletal remains from the medieval cemeteries of Selib 1 and from individual graves at Banganarti. The results of ceramic studies and of the anthropological examination are reported in separate appendices to the main report.
The program was funded by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw, substantially supplemented with financing, planned as a five-year grant starting in 2013, by the Qatar Museums Authority within the frame of the Qatar Sudan Archaeological Project. QSAP has also provided funds for the purchase of the famed Artigasha saqiyah to be the core of the new museum.
Text: Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 25