A Window into the Nubian Diet: A Case Study of Food Crop Storage in the Kingdom of Dongola (Fourteenth to Eighteenth Centuries CE), Northern Sudan

TL;DR

Archaeobotanical evidence from Old Dongola reveals the diet and storage practices of people in Northern Sudan during the early Funj period.

Contribution

The discovery of stored crops provides new insights into the dietary habits and household economy of Old Dongola.

Findings

Stored crops included sorghum, wheat, barley, and legumes, showing Mediterranean and African influences.

Crop storage was small-scale and household-based, indicating daily subsistence practices.

The location of stored crops within homes suggests individual household management of food resources.

Abstract

This paper presents a unique archaeobotanical discovery of stored crops from two domestic structures at Old Dongola in Northern Sudan, dating to the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries CE. The findings provide new insights into aspects of cuisine during the early Funj period (1504–1821 CE) and its historical roots. The assemblage of stored crops—including sorghum, bread wheat, hulled barley, grass pea, cowpea, and radish seeds—reveals a blend of Mediterranean and African influences, reflecting the diverse cultural spheres that converged at Old Dongola. We argue that these crops constituted a fundamental component of the local diet and served as the primary carbohydrate sources for the inhabitants. The size of the storage vessels and containers suggests small-scale storage practices aimed at daily subsistence. Moreover, the location of these stored crops within domestic spaces indicates a household-based economy, in which crop processing and storage were organized at the individual household level.

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