Architecture and Settlement Growth on the Southern Edge of the Sahara

Archaeological research challenges long-held assumptions about the origins of urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa, revealing that complex settlement systems existed before Trans-Saharan commerce flourished. The study examines architectural development and settlement growth across the Hodh and Middle Niger basins, including sites like Tichitt, Walata, Tagant, and Néma, focusing on the emergence of dry stone, coursed earth, or mudbrick structures. By analyzing regional data sets, the research sheds light on pre-8th-century settlement patterns and interactions between Trans-Saharan and Berber worlds, providing a nuanced understanding of early urbanization in the southern Sahara.

Macdonald, K. C. (2020). Architecture and Settlement Growth on the Southern Edge of the Sahara. Urbanisation and State Formation in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond, 498–520. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108637978.014