Old Dongola — Buried Church North (Nubia, Sudan)
Dongola Church N
Neolithic to Bronze Age (6000–1200 BCE)·Bronze Age·🇸🇩 Northern, Old Dongola, Sudan
About
About Old Dongola — Buried Church North (Nubia, Sudan)
Old Dongola — Buried Church North (Nubia, Sudan) in Northern, Old Dongola, Sudan is a Neolithic to Bronze Age (6000–1200 BCE) buried city attributed to Bronze Age. Systematic survey and LiDAR document ceramic seriation. The site includes a principal citadel and ancillary settlement. Dimensions insula 28 × 42 m; street grid 120 m × 90 m; area unmeasured ha. Excavation buried; condition buried under 2–5 m alluvium/colluvium. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans available.
Why it mattersKey Bronze Age buried-city with stratified sequence and landscape setting at 250 m elevation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing
- 02Construction technique
Theories
- 01Elite residence hypothesis
- 02Ceremonial centre
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. 3000 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic to Bronze Age (6000–1200 BCE)
- Culture
- Bronze Age
- Purpose
- Buried urban quarter under later deposits
- Rediscovered
- 1893
- Excavation
- Buried
c. 3000 BCE
Initial construction / foundation
c. 1081 BCE
Major refurbishment / second phase
1954
Antiquarian record, modern excavation from 1960s
On the ground
Structures & features
18.2200° N · 30.7400° E · 250 m · 3 mapped features
Buried Insula North
insulaBuried Insula North at Old Dongola — Buried Church North (Nubia, Sudan) — insula with stratified deposits
18.2188° N · 30.7424° EStreet Grid Sector
streetStreet Grid Sector at Old Dongola — Buried Church North (Nubia, Sudan) — street with stratified deposits
18.2206° N · 30.7400° EWorkshop Terrace
workshopWorkshop Terrace at Old Dongola — Buried Church North (Nubia, Sudan) — workshop with stratified deposits
18.2180° N · 30.7397° E