Fayyum Settlements

(also spelled Faiyum or Fayum), Neolithic habitation sites in ancient Egypt, discovered in the Al Fayyum oasis. The oasis has also yielded Paleolithic remains found on the upper lacustrine terraces. The Neolithic remains were found on the lower terraces.

The early Neolithic settlements, dating from the fifth millennium B.C., were characterized by pit houses with hearths, grindstones for polishing stone implements, and pottery with ornamentation in relief. Numerous stone implements, spearheads, and arrowheads were found, as well as bone perforators and pins and clay-lined grain pits containing grains of barley, wheat, buckwheat, and flax. The late Neolithic sites yielded few remains.

In addition to land cultivation, the population of the Fayyum settlements engaged in the raising of oxen, sheep, goats, and pigs.