Hearths of the Hidden Valley area, Farafra Oasis

This study investigated settlement patterns connected to use of a particular kind of fireplace (Steinplatze or hearth-mounds) that represent one of the most distinctive archaeological features of open-air sites in the Sahara, especially during the mid-Holocene. The general debate on these structures, their function and their connections with pastoralist strategies in North Africa has long remained unresolved. The analysis focus on the Hidden Valley basin, one of the main area of prehistoric occupation investigated in the Farafra Oasis region (Egyptian Western Desert). The basin hosts a huge quantity of archaeological remains, among the main features of which are clusters of lithic artefacts and hearths. All the archaeological features are described and the excavation carried out are presented and discussed. Spatial and statistical analysis, performed with GIS system allowed to propose the occupation model of the Hidden Valley basin and its role in the general model of human settlement in the Farafra depression, during the Holocene Humid Period.