Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace
Middle Bronze Age (2500-1500 BCE)·Kerma Culture·🇸🇩 Northern State, Kerma, Sudan
About
About Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace
Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace in Northern State, Kerma, Sudan is a Middle Bronze Age (2500-1500 BCE) temple complex attributed to Kerma Culture. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal platform 6 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 19.6095N 30.3888E controls access to Northern State, Kerma resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey temple-complex for Northern State, Kerma, illustrating Kerma Culture construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
Theories
- 01Tribal capital and ritual aggregation
- 02Seasonal gathering locus
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 2000 BCE
- Period
- Middle Bronze Age (2500-1500 BCE)
- Culture
- Kerma Culture
- Purpose
- Ceremonial centre and pilgrimage focus with stratified deposits
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 2000 BCE
Initial construction of Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace main structure
c. 851 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace
1992–2012
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
19.6095° N · 30.3888° E · 259 m · 4 mapped features
Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace — Main Temple-Complex Feature
chamberPrimary chamber at Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
19.6079° N · 30.3872° EKerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace — Secondary Enclosure
cairnAncillary cairn at Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits
19.6075° N · 30.3872° EKerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panel
plazaOutlier plaza panel linked to Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape
19.6109° N · 30.3878° EKerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
reservoirHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Kerma Defuffa Western Annex Courtyard — Western Terrace with plastered basin
19.6112° N · 30.3905° E