# Abu Ballas > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Abu_Ballas > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Abu_Ballas.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ballas > Source revision: 1356510479 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Archaeological site in New Valley, Egypt Abu Ballas Abu Ballas Rock Location in Egypt Type Archaeological site Periods Neolithic Pharaonic Location New Valley, Egypt History Built c. 6700 BC Abandoned c. 3700 BC Site notes Discovered 1918 **Abu Ballas** (the **pottery hill**) is an [archaeological site](/source/Archaeological_site) in the [Libyan Desert](/source/Libyan_Desert) of [Egypt](/source/Egypt). It lies about 200 km (120 mi) south-west of the [Dakhla Oases](/source/Dakhla_Oasis) and consists of two isolated sandstone cones in the otherwise flat desert. Both hills are covered with Egyptian pottery. These vessels were at the beginning of the 20th century often well preserved, but are today – due to modern tourism – very much destroyed. The site was discovered in 1918 and 1923.[1] More recent research was undertaken in the last years.[2] The area is name giver for the geological [Abu Ballas formation](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abu_Ballas_formation&action=edit&redlink=1).[3] ## Neolithic Occupation Scholars suggest, that the Abu Ballas area has been occupied from about 6700 BC to around 3700 BC. They blame environmental conditions for a sudden cessation of human occupation there.[4] ## The Abu Ballas Trail The nature of this site remained for a long time mysteries. More recent research has shown that the site was a station on an ancient desert road, called *Abu Ballas Trail*, that connected the Dakla Oasis with the [Gilf Kebir](/source/Gilf_Kebir) and the [Jebel Ouenat](/source/Jebel_Ouenat). Some researchers maintain that Abu Ballas was a milestone of an ancient Egyptian trade route into central Africa or for prospecting minerals[5] The place was installed in the late [Old Kingdom](/source/Old_Kingdom) or early [First Intermediate Period](/source/First_Intermediate_Period), when some authorities decided to arrange supply depots on a track in the desert. Abu Ballas was one of the largest. Besides the pottery there were discovered some rock carvings, stone tools and even a [senet](/source/Senet) game board engraved on a stone. There are no water sources nearby, evidently all water and food was brought here from the Dakhla Oases with donkeys. Most likely people lived here only for short periods of time. The desert road was mainly in use at the end of the Old Kingdom and to a lesser extent in the [Second Intermediate Period](/source/Second_Intermediate_Period) and in the [New Kingdom](/source/New_Kingdom).[6] - Pottery at Abu Ballas - Engraving of bowman - Engraving of a cow suckling its calf ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** H. Kemal l Dine, L. Franchet: *Les dépots de jarresdu désert de Lybie*, in: *Revue scientifique* 65 1927), pp.596–600. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Frank Förster: *Beyond Dakhla: The Abu Ballas Trail in the Libyan Desert (SW Egypt)*, In: Frank Förster, Heiko Riemer: *Desert Road Archaeology in Egypt and Beyond*, Cologne 2013, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9783927688414](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9783927688414), pp.297–337. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** F. Hendriks; E. Schrank, The marine Abu Ballas formation of southern Egypt: a clay-mineralogic and microfloral reconstruction of the Aptian paleoclimate, Journal of African Earth Sciences, (1990) Volume 10, Issue 3, pp.471–481. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Rudolf Kuper, Sahel in Egypt: environmental change and cultural development in the Abu Ballas area, Libyan Desert. In: L. Krzyzaniak, M. Kobusiewicz & J. Alexander (eds.), Environmental change and human culture in the Nile basin and northern Africa until the second millennium B.C. Studies in African Archaeology 4 (Poznan: Poznan Archaeological Museum) pp.213–223. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Discovery of the ancient Abu Ballas Trail](http://www.carlo-bergmann.de/Discoveries/discovery.htm) Retrieved 2020/04/20. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Rudolf Kuper, The Abu Ballas Trail: Pharaonic Advances into the Libyan Desert, in: Z.Hawass and L.Pinch Brock (ed.), Egypt and the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century. Proceedings of the Eighth International Congress of Egyptologists, Cairo 2000, vol.2, Cairo 2003, pp.272–276. v t e Saharan rock art Algeria Rock Art of South Oran Rock art of the Djelfa region Marhouma Tassili n'Ajjer Tadrart Rouge la Vache qui pleure Rock art of Iheren and Tahilahi Rock engravings of Oued Djerat Morocco Rock art of Figuig Libya Acacus Mountains Wadi Mathendous Mesak Settafet Uan Muhuggiag Egypt Abu Ballas Gilf Kebir Cave of Beasts Cave of Swimmers Magharet el Kantara Cave of Archers Wadi Hamra Sudan Sabu-Jaddi Wadi Abu Dom Gabal El Uweinat Mauritania Adrar Plateau Agrour Amogjar Amazmaz Chad Ennedi Plateau --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Abu Ballas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ballas) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ballas?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.