Abstract

Wadi Farja is a dry Holocene palaeochannel situated in northern Sudan on the eastern bank of the Nile, immediately north of the Third Cataract region. The human occupation of the Wadi peaked in the Neolithic (5000 to 3000 BC) through Kerma (2500 to 1500 BC) periods. The Wadi is relatively rich in bioarchaeological materials, such as mammalian bone fragments, fish bones and bivalve shells. It is concluded that the different classes of remains collected are indicative of the extent of animal palaeobiodiversity and the prevalence of savannah conditions at that time. The Wadi Farja was with a permanent water body, as the nearby Fad seasonal stream existing today.

Key words: Palaeochannel, Farja, Fad, third cataract, holocene, neolithic, Kerma, bioarchaeological, savannah, hippopotamus, Coelatura, Etheria elliptica, Pila ovate, Lates niloticus).