La nécropole aux amants petrifies : Ruines mégalithiques de Wanar (Région de Kaffrine, Sénégal)

Abstract

This collective work reports on the studies and archaeological work carried out at the megalithic ruined necropolis of Wanar, Senegal, between 2008 and 2017. Along with Sine Ngayene in Senegal, and Wassu and Ker Batch in Gambia, the Wanar sanctuary is one of four sites classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2006. The first part sets out the general framework for the study of paleoenvironments as well as historical and archaeological data, and concludes with a brief summary of megaliths in Africa.The second part reports on all the observations made, starting with a presentation of the Wanar site in the context of human settlements along the Bao Bolon valley, followed by an account of the main study methods used. This is followed by a detailed presentation of the six monuments studied, three to the north of the necropolis with short, squat monoliths, and three to the south with narrow, elongated monoliths, built between the 11th and 13th centuries AD. The sanctuary then took the form of a village with stone houses, dedicated to the dead and, in the context of deferred funerals, in three stages as in many traditional funeral rites still practiced today in West Africa. Paradigm shifts in the state of knowledge about the megaliths of Senegal and Gambia call for a careful re-reading of previous work, which is the subject of the third and final section. The monograph on the work at the Wanar site is therefore an important milestone in the advancement of our knowledge of protohistoric societies and megalith builders in West Africa.