<< Text Pages >> Gobero - Barrow Cemetery in Niger
Submitted by bat400 on Tuesday, 30 September 2008 Page Views: 5974
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: GoberoCountry: Niger Type: Barrow Cemetery
Latitude: 16.790000N Longitude: 8.760000E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Barrow Cemetery in northern Niger.
A stone age Saharan cemetery, with common use by two different cultures, separated by a thousand or more years. Burials include both bone bundle burials and touching displays of groups of death buried together, with simple burial objects or on beds of flowers.
The second of the two groups, called the Tenerian (5200 - 2500 BC) buried their dead among the dead of the older culture, called the Kiffian (7700 - 6200 BC) but did not displace or discard the earlier remains.
The Gobero cemetery was discovered in 2000 by National Geographic explorer-in-residence Paul Sereno. Traveling in Niger to continue research on dinosaurs, his group found the human remains eroding out of the ground. Excavations have continued as the site continues to be uncovered by the wind.
The cemetery once stood along a large lake, dating from the era of the "Green Sahara". Finds of animal bones dating to the Tenerian and Kiffian cultures include many fish, snakes, aquatic birds, and hippos. Satellite radar and other special photography show the traces of ancient lake beds and watercourses under the desert sand. Sereno's research paper with photos and charts can be found at PLoS ONE. The site was also featured in the September 2008 issue of National Geographic. The location given for the site is very general for the site. The country listing will be updated to Niger presently.
Note: Two cultures share oldest planned cemetery in the Sahara. "Green Sahara" finds.
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