Land-use and cultivation in theetaghasof the Tadrart Acacus (south-west Libya): the dawn of Saharan agriculture?

Research at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tadrart Acacus reveals that ancient pastoralist communities likely pioneered flood-recession agriculture around 4,000 years ago, long before modern Tuareg practices. Geoarchaeological and archaeological evidence, combined with radiocarbon dating and rock art analysis, suggests that late prehistoric Pastoral Neolithic groups exploited temporary water pools (etaghas) in wadi beds to supplement their pastoral subsistence. This challenges the notion that permanent agriculture was impossible in the hyperarid Sahara, indicating an early adaptation to Saharan environmental conditions.

di Lernia, S., Massamba N’Siala, I., Mercuri, A. M., & Zerboni, A. (2020). Land-use and cultivation in theetaghasof the Tadrart Acacus (south-west Libya): the dawn of Saharan agriculture? Antiquity, 94(375), 580–600. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2020.41