Holocene resource exploitation along the Nile: diet and subsistence strategies of Mesolithic and Neolithic societies at Khor Shambat 1, Sudan

Recent excavations at Khor Shambat, Sudan, yielded well-defined Mesolithic and Neolithic stratigraphy. Here, for the first time, we combine archaeozoological, palaeobotanical, phytolith and dental calculus studies, with lipid residue analysis of c. 100 Mesolithic and Neolithic pottery fragments from Khor Shambat and comparative analysis of faunal remains and organic residues, to provide valuable information on changes in adaptation strategies, including hunting and consumption models, from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Neolithic herders, exploiting domesticates for meat and milk. These results paint a unique picture of the natural environment and human subsistence in Early to Middle Holocene Central Sudan.