This project involves an archaeologist from the University of Washington, studying the domestication of plants and animals and the development of complex societies in southwest Asia and northeast Africa. Using standard archaeological techniques, the investigator will study the geomorphology, sedimentary, and botanical records of sites in the southeastern Sinai, as well as conduct area surveys. The period to be studied is from about 10,000 to 6000 years ago the `Pre Pottery Neolithic B`, an early stage in the transition from hunting and gathering to a domesticate-based subsistence economy and and the development of early complex societies in this region. It has always been assumed that contact between southwest Asia and Egypt was through northern Sinai and the Nile Delta. However, there are hints in the archaeological record that contact may have been more important across southern Sinai and the Gulf of Suez. The archaeology of southern Sinai remains largely unknown. This research is designed to examine the role of southern Sinai in the introduction of some domestic animals, particularly sheep and goats, from southwest Asia into Egypt, and, during the later part of the period, what role southern Sinai may have played in the relationships between the developing civilizations of Mesopotamia and Upper Egypt. The research should expand our understanding of this important period of time in this central geographic location.
