So far we have carried out a non-invasive archaeological survey, augering tests, excavation of ca. 7000 m2 of the site, as well as initial material studies. Despite their preliminary character, the results allowed us to lay foundations for studies on the early modern Sudan and considerably contributed to the reconstruction of the African history in general. The major achievements thus far are the results of the non-invasive survey and progress in material studies. The survey delivered the first detailed urban layout of the early modern (16-18th cent) African city, which will now serve as a basis for spatial analyses, as well as comparative studies. We have also contributed to the development of non-invasive archeological survey methods by confirming the effectiveness of the ground-penetrating survey in sand-covered plateaus and densely occupied settlement sites in the Nile Valley.
The material studies allowed for preparation of typologies for the pottery, smoking pipes, glass beads and glass bangles that can be used by other researchers. The macroscopic study of beads suggests several origins of beads reaching Old Dongola: Europe (Venice, the Netherlands, Bohemia, and Bavaria), where the majority of beads were produced, as well as Hebron, Egypt and South Asia. There are several known glass production centers that manufactured bangles in the Ottoman period, including Hebron, Egypt, the Lebanese coast, India, and Yemen. European centers, in turn, were rather less likely sources of bangles found in Sudan. Research carried out on bangles housed in museum collections has not been able to offer dating spans more precise than a period between the 16th and 18th century. The well-stratified Old Dongola finds, combined with elemental analyses done at the Field Museum, Chicago, might shed new light on their chronology.
