Floodplain Rock Shelter
Floodplain
Late Bronze Age (1550–1050 BCE)·Late Bronze Age·🇸🇩 River Nile State, Sudan
About
About Floodplain Rock Shelter
Floodplain Rock Shelter in River Nile State, Sudan is a Late Bronze Age (1550–1050 BCE) rock art attributed to Late Bronze Age culture. Systematically investigated through systematic survey and test trenching, it presents a fortified nucleus with hydraulic works. UNESCO World Heritage context. Construction employs ashlar with clamp and demonstrates craft specialization. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Late Bronze Age rock-art with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Function as ceremonial vs domestic centre
- 02Chronology and phasing of monuments
Theories
- 01Centralized storage and redistribution (Cunliffe)
- 02Astronomical observatory and calendar
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1176 BCE
- Period
- Late Bronze Age (1550–1050 BCE)
- Culture
- Late Bronze Age
- Purpose
- Residential and craft production
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
c. 1176 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 801 BCE
Architectural refurbishment
c. 296 CE
Reoccupation and adaptation
2003
Rediscovery and systematic excavation
On the ground
Structures & features
17.7794° N · 33.4130° E · 688 m · 3 mapped features
Burial Cluster
shrineOutlier feature with standing stones
17.7823° N · 33.4141° EGateway
entrancePrimary rock art at Floodplain Rock Shelter — megalithic chamber
17.7812° N · 33.4133° EHydraulic Channel
granaryPrimary rock art at Floodplain Rock Shelter — platform mound
17.7798° N · 33.4113° E