Nabta Playa: Cradle of Pre-Egyptian Civilization

Figure 1: Map of modern day Egypt and the location of Nabta Playa (circled in red at the bottom) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Today’s blog post will focus on the discoveries located at the African site of Nabta Playa, located 500 miles south of modern-day Cairo, Egypt (Figure 1).  You may not have heard of it previously, but this is one of the most important Old-World archaeological sites.  It is glorified for providing many of the world’s oldest cultural features, including the oldest man-made astronomical observatories, sorghum domestication, and potentially the foundations for later ancient Egyptian culture and beliefs. 

 

Nabta Playa was part of what the Egyptians called the Nubian Desert, a region located just south of the ancient Egyptian state.  It was first settled in 9000 BC by a group of nomadic pastoralists who may have been drawn to the site due to its natural resources.  This area of Africa was far different from the dry desert climate it is today as it was subject to consistent and seasonal rainfall that provided temporary but substantial lakes and water resources.  The site was developed over the next several thousands of years as the inhabitants constructed megalithic monuments, underground tombs, and various stelae and stone slabs.

 

The most notable megalithic structure identified at Nabta Playa was the large stone circle (Figure 2).  Originally identified by Fred Wendorf in 1973 and later excavated by Wendorf and Romuald Schild in the 1990s it was later determined that the stone circle was used as an early celestial observatory.  In fact, it remains the oldest celestial observatory ever created, beating out Stonehenge by several thousands of years.  The stones used in the megalithic structure aligned with specific stars of the Orion constellation, which is where the evidence of the celestial observatory purpose of the structure comes from.  This idea has also been supported by ethnoarchaeological research that shows that modern African groups utilize the stars for navigation purposes.

Figure 2: Megalithic Stone Circle at Nabta Playa, the world's oldest celestial observatory (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Additionally, the site has a series of large underground tombs.  While no human remains have been reported as being found at the site it has been reported that various domesticated animals, including sheep, goats, and aurochs, the ancestors to modern cows, were buried in these tombs.  It is unclear specifically why these animals were interred there (if it was for sacrifice or burial goods or another purpose), but these remains provide insights into early domestication practices that occurred at the site.  Based on current evidence it appears that the earliest animal domestication practices in Africa may have occurred here or in the region.  In addition, the earliest evidence of sorghum domestication in the world has been credited as occurring at this site, as well as potentially the earliest ceramic manufacture in Africa.

 

The residents of Nabta Playa occupied the site until approximately 5000-3000 BC.  It is believed that a series of droughts and changes from a wet to arid environment drove the Nabta Playa people from the site.  It is believed that they may have moved north, along the Nile, and became the ancestral populations to ancient Egyptians.  This hypothesis has not been fully vetted, but there are several parallels in the ideologies and material culture between early, Pre-Dynastic Egypt and Nabta Playa, thereby supporting the hypothesis.

 

Ultimately, the site of Nabta Playa provides a great deal of insights into early cultural history in Africa and among early human groups.  The level of ingenuity and creativity displayed in the artifacts and monumental architecture of the site demonstrates the greatness of early African people, whose innovations provided the foundations for other great civilizations that occurred after them.  This influence may have also inspired other groups outside of the African continent given the evidence to long distance trade at Nabta Playa, further demonstrating the impact of the Nabta Playa people.

 

References

Betz, E. (2020, June 20). Nabta Playa: The World's First Astronomical Site Was Built in Africa and Is Older Than Stonehenge. Discover Magazine.

Gillan, J. (2018, August 3). Nabta Playa and the Ancient Astronomers of the Nubian Desert . Retrieved from Ancient Origins: https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-africa/nabta-playa-and-ancient-astronomers-nubian-desert-002954

The Human Origin Project. (2019, February 20). The Ancient Astronomy of the Nabta Playa Egyptian Stone Circle. Retrieved from Medium: https://medium.com/@humanoriginproject/the-ancient-astronomy-of-the-nabta-playa-egyptian-stone-circle-c8ecb2800223