TL AND RADIOCARBON DATING OF NEOLITHIC SEPULTURES FROM SUDAN - INTERCOMPARISON OF RESULTS

Thermoluminescence dating of a set of 29 pottery sherds excavated at t he neolithic sites of El Kadada and El Ghaba (near Shendi, Central Sud an) was carried out at Bordeaux University. The archaeological dose wa s measured using the fine grain technique. The annual dose was determi ned by analytical techniques (neutron activation analysis, ICP spectro metry, XRF, low background gamma spectrometry) and by ''on-site'' meas urements of the environmental radioactivity (gammametry). The crystall ine inclusions of the samples ware characterized by optical microscopy and cathodoluminescence: the TL minerals mainly consist of quartz and K-feldspar crystals. In some cases, radioactive inclusions of zircons and monazites are observed. The TL and the radiocarbon dates show a g ood agreement, verifying the validity of the radiocarbon ages which we re suspected to be too old because of the nature of the dated material (shells). Taking into account all the chronological data, it is shown that El Ghaba and El Ghaba necropolis were used respectively within t he 4800-3300 B.C. and 4200-3000 B.C. data-ranges for neolithic culture s, the occupation of El Kadada starting five or six centuries later th an El Ghaba.