The absence of ants: Entomologist confirms first Saharan farming 10,000 years ago

[FarCenter]

By analysing a prehistoric site in the Libyan desert, a team of researchers from the universities of Huddersfield, Rome and Modena & Reggio Emilia has been able to establish that people in Saharan Africa were cultivating and storing wild cereals 10,000 years ago. In addition to revelations about early agricultural practices, there could be a lesson for the future, if global warming leads to a necessity for alternative crops.

The importance of find came together through a well-established official collaboration between the University of Huddersfield and the University of Modena & Reggio Emilia.

The team has been investigating findings from an ancient rock shelter at a site named Takarkori in south-western Libya. It is desert now, but in the Holocene age, some 10,000 years ago, it was part of the "green Sahara" and wild cereals grew there. More than 200,000 seeds -- in small circular concentrations -- were discovered at Takarkori, which showed that hunter-gatherers developed an early form of agriculture by harvesting and storing crops.

But an alternative possibility was that ants, which are capable of moving seeds, had been responsible for the concentrations. Dr Stefano Vanin, the University of Huddersfield's Reader in Forensic Biology and a leading entomologist in the forensic and archaeological fields, analysed a large number of samples, now stored at the University of Modena & Reggio Emilia. His observations enabled him to demonstrate that insects were not responsible and this supports the hypothesis of human activity in collection and storage of the seeds

The investigation at Takarkori provided the first-known evidence of storage and cultivation of cereal seeds in Africa. The site has yielded other key discoveries, including the vestiges of a basket, woven from roots, that could have been used to gather the seeds. Also, chemical analysis of pottery from the site demonstrates that cereal soup and cheese were being produced.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180316153909.htm

[orangecrush]

1. interesting!

Thanks for sharing!

[nuxvomica]

2. There was a lot going in the Sahara millenia ago

IIRC, the Green period only ended about 5,000 years ago and as late as the time of Herodotus there existed the last vestiges of the Garamontes empire which had at least seven well-populated cities in the area. They arose near the end of the Green period and were able to irrigate their crops by an as yet undetermined technology that pumped water from deep prehistoric aquifers. They also avoided the decline of the Sumerians due to oversalinization of cropland by treating the soil with fungus.

I enjoy hearing these indications of sophisticated cultures in ancient Africa because a sci-fi novel I wrote, inspired by the Garamontes, was dismissed by one Vine reviewer at the outset with the comment that "no great cities existed in the Sahara 4,000 years ago." I really think that a lot was going on in the "Dark Continent" when Europeans were still hunting and gathering.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. I have long thought that the Egyptians locating the after life to the east,

what by then was the Sahara desert, was a distant memory of when that part of the continent was lush and fertile.

[ProudLib72]

4. I believe it

I remember seeing a documentary on the different periods represented in rock art. Whatever civilization there was in the Sahara was destroyed through climate change. I have always wondered (since seeing the documentary) just how much of that civilization lies buried beneath the sand. I'm not expecting massive structures, but I certainly do not doubt large (for the time) cities.

Large Wild Fauna Period (Bubalus Period) (12,000 BP - 6,000 BP)[8] This was a time when Saharan hunter-gatherer societies made rock art. These images included animals that were hunted or were in their surrounding area, including hippos, rhinos, elephants giraffes, bubalus, aurochs, and large antelopes. Many of those animals no longer exist in the Sahara due to changes in climate that have caused the desiccation of the desert over the past several thousand years. Humans are shown hunting with spears and axes. The artwork portrays not only hunting, but the relationship between humans and animals. Most of the artwork can be found in Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria.

Round Head Period (9.500 - c. 7,000 BP)[8] Hunter-gatherers on the Tassili Plateau painted distinctive human figures with round, featureless heads.

Pastoral Period (7,200+ BP- 3,000 BP)[8] During this period, humans were depicted with domesticated cattle. Pictures show cultures herding animals and hunting as well, portrayed through men holding bows. Women and children are in camps where they lived. This style is shown around the Sahara with paintings and engravings. Herders eventually migrated to the west, east, and south as Saharan climates aridified.

Horse Period (3,200 - c.1,000 BP)[8] Humans are shown with horses during this period. Paintings and few engravings have men on horses with weapons, as well as horse-drawn chariots. The people are also dressed in clothing instead of no clothing at all.

Camel Period (3,000 - 2,000 BP and later)[8] This is the final period of rock art in the Sahara, with images of camels appearing. Cattle and goats are frequently included in Camel Period art as well. Advanced weaponry is depicted, including pictures of men with spears, swords, and shields.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saharan_rock_art

[Rhiannon12866]

5. Here's a review of the novel that was mentioned, it was very well researched:

THE BRICKWEAVERS

KIRKUS REVIEW
In the kingdom of Thujwa, exalted craftsmen build with elemental forces of energy—but there are those who would use this technique, “brickweaving,” to create weapons of mass destruction.

More: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jf-williams/the-brickweavers/