Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Ella Egberts from VUB performed a discipline journey to Iraq in November and December 2024 as a part of a pilot mission to determine archaeological floor supplies.
The target of this analysis is to reinforce understanding of the geomorphological historical past of the Iraqi Western Desert, particularly within the Al-Shabakah space, and to evaluate the potential for preserving archaeological websites containing Outdated and Center Paleolithic artifacts, relationship again to the early and center Stone Age. The marketing campaign yielded profitable outcomes, prompting Egberts to plan additional analysis efforts on this area on behalf of VUB.
Credit score: Ella Egberts – VUB
“The fieldwork was an enormous success,” confirms Egberts. “Our focused fieldwork resulted within the discovery of seven Paleolithic websites in an space of 10 by 20 km. One location was chosen for a scientific research to find out the spatial distribution of the Paleolithic materials and to conduct preliminary technological and typological analyses.”
The prospecting marketing campaign focused on a area that, through the Pleistocene epoch, contained a big lake that has since dried up. This space is characterised by historic wadis or dry riverbeds. Egberts gathered over 850 artifacts from the floor, together with hand axes from the Early or Outdated Paleolithic interval and Levallois discount flakes from the Center Paleolithic interval. It’s recommended that different websites on this area additionally warrant detailed systematic investigation, which is more likely to produce comparable quantities of lithic materials.
“Based mostly on the distribution of the websites and the advancing understanding of the area’s geomorphological historical past, there are rising clues of early human panorama use. Sooner or later, I hope to develop my analysis to a bigger space, systematically pattern all of the websites, and conduct in-depth technological and typological artifact evaluation.
The brand new insights we deliver from Iraq will then be built-in into the broader understanding of human evolution and habits on the Arabian Peninsula.”
Egberts’ work in Iraq additionally has an academic side: “A vital a part of the fieldwork was coaching Iraqi archaeology college students in geo-archaeology and Paleolithic archaeology. Three college students accompanied us within the discipline, and thru a workshop at Al-Qadisiyah College after the fieldwork, we impressed many extra college students and lecturers concerning the Paleolithic of Iraq.
At a convention in Karbala, we shared our findings with a multidisciplinary tutorial viewers within the historical past of the Western Desert. On the Writers’ Union in Najaf, we introduced our outcomes to most of the people and the press. And it was great to show native elementary college kids about prehistoric flint discoveries.”
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The work in Iraq, a rustic most individuals keep in mind as one giant powder keg, has been, in response to Egberts, a lot smoother than anticipated. “Aside from the presence of quite a few checkpoints, we had been capable of perform our work with none issues. The individuals are pleasant, and it is really very good to work in Iraq. Initially, earlier final 12 months, we did should postpone our expedition resulting from a safety warning. That was in all probability associated to the struggle in Gaza…”
“The Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage appreciates our work and encourages us to proceed,” says Egberts in a press release. She is going to now proceed her analysis at VUB. “The following step might be to safe funding, with which I hope to reconstruct Pleistocene environmental modifications and early human presence and habits within the Western Desert.”
Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Employees Author
