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Working methods
The archaeological survey of the area has
been conducted along 2 x 1 km transects both along the White
Nile bank and towards the interior to the west. Such a strategy
allowed us to test, at a good level of confidence, the archaeological
potentiality of the region under scrutiny.
This intensive and systematic approach revealed a large
number of prehistoric sites often heavily attacked by erosive
agents and leaving on the surface isolated scatters of pottery
fragments and/or lithic tools and debitage.
The spatial distribution of transects was planned to intercept
different geo-morphologic features previously recognised
on the base of aerial photos, satellite imageries and the
available cartography and thus to study specific relationships
between different environmental features and the archaeological
evidence of different periods.
The archaeological record.
 More
than one hundred archaeological sites have been located
so far, covering a time span from the Palaeolithic to the
Post-Meroitic period. The oldest materials, dating to the
Late Pleistocene (Middle and Late Palaeolithic) have been
found in the Jebel Baroka area, while many sites dating
to Early and Middle Holocene (Khartoum Mesolithic, Early
and Late Neolithic) have been located at the feet of the
Jebel and along the western bank of the White Nile. Later
periods, Meroitic and Post-Meroitic evidence seem to be
spread in the area, from the piedmont to the alluvial plain
of more recent geological formation.
 Among
the sites we discovered two large cemeteries (10-U-3 and
10-U-21) with stone cairns have to be mentioned. Both of
them were mapped with the aid of a Leica total station kindly
provided by Leica Geosystem of Milan. Of the two cemeteries
one (10-U-21) (Figs. 4-5) is quite surely of Post-Meroitic
age. .
 The
second (10-U-3) (Figs. 6-7) occupies a large risen area
on the edge of the alluvial plain and has two different
types of stone cairns. One is built with black Nubian sandstone
blocks, the other with white sandstone flakes. Some of the
first type of graves have a central squared structure made
by vertical flat slabs.
The other type seems to be less accurately built with sandstone
flakes of different size irregularly placed to cover the
burial. In both cases the diameter of the tumuli varies
from 1 to 11 m with a 65% between 0.96 and 2.96 m. The black
sandstone cairns are similar in shape to structures found
in the eastern desert and dating to the 3rd millennium BC.
 10-U-3,
as mentioned above, is located on a rocky platform 2-3 m
high, bordering the alluvial plain in the vicinity of the
wadi Baroka were we have located several stone structures
(Fig. 8) and concentrations of pottery and lithic of different
age from the Neolithic to the Christian period. If a dating
to the 3rd millennium BC of some of the graves in the cemetery
will be confirmed by future excavation tests, all the area
will results of major interest for the reconstruction of
the prehistoric peopling of the area. 
The other graveyard (10-U-21) consists of 21 cairns of a
type well known in other Sudanese regions (Amri-Kirbekan
and Jebel Kulgeili). Their shape is drop-like and the elevation
is about 1m and can be dated to Post-Meroitic age.
To the same period are dated the earthen circular tumuli
which were located along the Nile bank and on the alluvial
plain (Fig. 9)
These tumuli are circular mounds built with earth mixed
with
river pebbles above a burial chamber excavated in the ground.
 They
are usually organised in clusters of 5 to 10 and have a
diameter which often exceeds 20 m. Only one tumulus of this
kind has been excavated in the past (1953) next to the Al
Oshara village. Stone cairns have not been found along the
Nile bank. It is possible that this kind of structures were
destroyed by the common practice to reuse the stones in
building activities as suggested by the location of an almost
completely depleted grave located next to the El Oshara
village.
Meroitic materials were collected, along the Nile, at the
surface of site 10-X-8, a large low mound which originates
in the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods (Figs. 11-12). 1
km to the north of this site, an important Early Islamic
settlement (10-X-5) was located. Here a section cut by a
seasonal river course exposed a section with several anthropic
layers, fireplaces and mud-brick structures (Fig. 10).
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