Description
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 sanct