Dhar Tichitt, Walata et Nema

Archaeological research reveals that the sandstone cliffs forming a semicircle around the Hodh basin in southern Mauritania were inhabited by Neolithic agro-pastoral communities as early as the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE. These communities, engaged in millet cultivation, livestock herding, fishing, hunting, and gathering wild grasses, left behind diverse traces including massive villages with complex architecture, rock engravings, tumuli, and surface sites. The study analyzes four spatial scales—domestic, village, sub-regional, and regional—to understand the long-term strategies of habitat implantation, its temporal evolution, and diversification. This research sheds light on how these communities constructed cultural landscapes, reflecting a dynamic 'mental map' that shaped their social and environmental interactions over millennia.

Holl, A. F.-C. (2012). Dhar Tichitt, Walata et Nema. Les Nouvelles de L’archéologie, 127, 35–39. https://doi.org/10.4000/nda.1584