Sebilian

{{Short description|Archaeological culture in Egypt spanning c. 13,000 – 10,000 BCE}} {{Infobox archaeological culture |name = Sebilian |map = |mapalt = |altnames = |horizon = |region = Nubia |period = Prehistoric Nubia |dates = ''circa'' 15,000 BE — ''circa'' 12,000 BE |typesite = |majorsites = |extra = |precededby = Halfan culture |followedby = Qadan culture }} {{Paleolithic|upper}}

'''Sebilian''' is a pre-historic archaeological culture in Nubia spanning the period c. 13,000–10,000 B.C.

==Location==

The culture is known by the name given by Edmond Vignard to finds he located at Kom Ombo on the banks of the river Nile from 1919 continuing into the 1920s.

Nine sites were found by A. Marks in the area of the Wadi Halfa; Wendorf located three approximately 10 kilometres from Abu Simbel. The culture is located in entirety only in proximity to the Nile, ranging from Wadi Halfa to Qena.<ref>Béatrix Midant-Reynes ''The prehistory of Egypt from the first Egyptians to the first pharaohs'' - 328 pages [https://books.google.com/books?id=UfcXJcXnZ9YC&dq=Sebilian+tool+culture&pg=PA50 Wiley-Blackwell, 28 Feb 2000] Retrieved 2012-01-10 {{ISBN|0-631-21787-8}}</ref>

==Dating==

The culture was dated by Vignard as spanning the period c. 13,000–10,000 B.C.<ref name="Vignard">Ian Shaw, Robert Jameson{{cite book | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=zmvNogJO2ZgC&q=Wendorf+sebilian&pg=PA516 | title = A dictionary of archaeology | date = 6 May 2002 | publisher= Wiley-Blackwell, 2002 | isbn = 9780631235835 |accessdate =2012-01-10}} {{ISBN|0-631-23583-3}}</ref>

Dating by way of geology shows the industry to have occurred within a period 15,000 - 10,500 B.C<ref name="Butzer">Karl W. Butzer {{cite book | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=AD8OAAAAQAAJ&q=P.E.L.+Smith+-+Sebilian&pg=PA553| title = Environment and archeology: an ecological approach to prehistory | year = 1972 | publisher = Taylor & Francis, 1972 - 703 pages | isbn = 9780416675009 | accessdate = 2012-01-10}} {{ISBN|0-416-67500-X}}</ref> though the industry has been subsequently re-established ''sui generis'' as emerging during 13,000 BC.<ref name="Butzer Karl W" />

Later archaeology had identified the Sebilian as having occurred during the same periods of time as those industries named the Silsilian, and the Sebekian of Upper Egypt that occurred 12,000 B.C. or perhaps earlier.

Vignard's analysis of the findings have been criticised, and later re-evaluated by P.E.L. Smith and Fekri Hassan<ref name="Hoffman" /> though are considered to have given life to the modern field of investigation into a hitherto unknown (or only surmised) area of pre-history of Egypt.<ref name="PEL Smith">PEL Smith - 2009 {{cite web | url =http://gredos.usal.es/jspui/bitstream/10366/71004/1/New_Prehistoric_Investigations_at_Kom_Om.pdf | title = ''New Prehistoric Investigations at Kom Ombo (Upper Egypt)'' | publisher = University of Montreal| accessdate = 2012-01-10}}</ref>

==Characteristics==

Sebilian implements were located along the Nile River at the 10–15 foot terraces.<ref name=Langer>{{cite book | title = An Encyclopedia of World History | editor-last = Langer | editor-first = William L. | edition = 5th | publisher = Houghton Mifflin Company | location = Boston, MA | year = 1972 | isbn = 0-395-13592-3 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaworl00will/page/9 9] | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaworl00will/page/9 }}</ref> The formal characteristics of the finds indicate a development of technique that passed through three phases.

*SEBILIAN I were formally akin to Mousteroid tool-points, using a technique typical of the levallois diorite based industry, with few microburins present archaeologically. *SEBILIAN II and III tools were made using a technique indicative of a microblade industry that had changed the production material to flint with a much greater number of microburins found.<ref name="Hoffman">Michael A. Hoffman {{cite book | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=-6w9AAAAIAAJ&q=Sebilian+tool+culture&pg=PA79 | title = Egypt before the pharaohs: the prehistoric foundations of Egyptian civilization | year = 1980 | publisher = Taylor & Francis, 1980 |isbn=0-7100-0495-8 | accessdate = 2012-01-10 }}</ref>

The industry was re-designated SEBILIAN based on those previously classified type I, and described as crudely produced, possibly resultant of the necessities of the occasional opportunities for groups engaged in hunting activities.<ref name="Butzer Karl W">page 160 of Butzer Karl W. {{cite journal | url = http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/paleo_0153-9345_1997_num_23_2_4658 |doi=10.3406/paleo.1997.4658 | title = Late Quaternary problems of the Egyptian Nile : stratigraphy, environments, prehistory |year=1997 | publisher = Paléorient. 1997, Vol. 23 N°2. Paléoenvironnement et sociétés humaines au moyen-orient de 20 000 BP à 6 000 BP. pp. 151-173 | accessdate = 2012-01-14 |last1=Butzer |first1=Karl W. |journal=Paléorient |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=151–173 }}</ref>

The dietary manifestations evidenced were of the sort expected from a semi-sedentary population living near to the Nile river, namely fish, and much less frequently crocodile and turtle.<ref name="Butzer" />

==References==

Category:Archaeological cultures in Egypt Category:Predynastic Egypt Category:Upper Paleolithic cultures of Africa