Newly Found Stone Cairns In Mudug Region Puntland A Preliminary Report Eugenio Bortolini Stefano Biagetti Gianluca Frinchillucci Ali A Warsame Marco Madella by Eugenio Bortolini & Stefano Biagetti & Gianluca Frinchillucci & Ali A. Warsame & Marco Madella instant download after payment.

Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 2018. doi:10.1080/0067270X.2018.1540214
Newly Found Stone Cairns in Mudug Region, Puntland: A Preliminary Report
This study, conducted by Eugenio Bortolini, Stefano Biagetti, Gianluca Frinchillucci, Hussein Abukar, Ali A. Warsame, and Marco Madella, highlights the discovery of 40 monumental stone cairns in the Mudug region of Puntland, Somalia. Located northeast of Galka’yo, these cairns were digitally recorded and classified into three main types: simple circular cairns, rectilinear platforms, and other composite structures like cairns with enclosures or double cairns. These findings reveal the archaeological richness of an area that had remained largely unexplored.
The cairns, preserved in arid, flat landscapes with sparse vegetation, likely date from the Neolithic to the Late Iron Age. Their morphology suggests they may have been used as funerary structures or for other cultural purposes tied to semi-nomadic pastoral communities. This study places them within the broader context of East African Holocene archaeology, where similar cairns have been associated with long-term social and ecological networks.
The research benefited from a collaborative effort involving Puntland University for Science and Technology (PUST) and international experts, including the late Prof. Mohamed Jama Salad. The project underscores the potential for further exploration in Puntland, connecting these structures to regional historical routes and cultural traditions.
Future fieldwork is needed to clarify the chronology and function of these cairns. This discovery opens the door to new archaeological insights into the cultural and ecological dynamics of Somalia’s past.