Colonisation and consolidation

A significant gap of tens of thousands of years separates the last Pleistocene occupation and the first Early Holocene colonisation in the Tadrart Acacus region, marking a true reoccupation of long-uninhabited hyperarid zones. The study identifies the first confirmed human presence in this area around 11,600 calBP, attributed to small, specialised hunter-gatherer groups with northern provenance. These Early Acacus groups exploited Barbary sheep and avoided intensive water-based food resources, contrasting with contemporary southern Saharan practices. The research combines lithic assemblage analysis, site organisation studies, and environmental data to reconstruct this colonisation event, highlighting the role of reactivated hydrographic systems in facilitating human movement during periods of environmental amelioration.

di Lernia, S. (2022). Colonisation and consolidation. Saharan Hunter-Gatherers, 29–54. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003083580-3