9000 years of human lakeside adaptation in the Ethiopian Afar: Fisher-foragers and the first pastoralists in the Lake Abhe basin during the African Humid Period

A groundbreaking study reveals that human populations in the Ethiopian Afar region adapted to fluctuating lake levels over 9000 years, transitioning from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to mixed herding-hunter-gatherer economies. This shift coincided with significant environmental changes during the African Humid Period (AHP), including major arid events like the Younger Dryas and the 8.2 ka and 4.2 ka arid phases. Researchers analyzed seven newly discovered archaeological sites in the Lake Abhe basin, using 37 radiocarbon dates to correlate human settlement patterns with paleo-shoreline changes. The findings suggest that flexible resource strategies were crucial for survival amid strong environmental variability, even as herding and pottery traditions emerged uniquely in this region between 4.8 and 3.3 ka cal. BP.

Khalidi, L., Mologni, C., Ménard, C., Coudert, L., Gabriele, M., Davtian, G., Cauliez, J., Lesur, J., Bruxelles, L., Chesnaux, L., Redae, B. E., Hainsworth, E., Doubre, C., Revel, M., Schuster, M., & Zazzo, A. (2020). 9000 years of human lakeside adaptation in the Ethiopian Afar: Fisher-foragers and the first pastoralists in the Lake Abhe basin during the African Humid Period. Quaternary Science Reviews, 243, 106459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106459