Publications
Serendipity in Settings and Hydrologic Processes Helped People Survive Extreme Environments of the Sahara Desert
Ancient human societies in the Sahara Desert thrived during extreme aridity thanks to natural geological and hydrological features that serendipitously functioned as efficient water-harvesting systems. Research on sandstone massifs like Tassili n’Ajjer, Tadrart Acacus, and Messak Settafet reveals how these settings amplified rainfall, concentrating runoff into perennial lakes and groundwater sources—effectively creating 'natural technologies' that sustained hunter-gatherers and pastoralists during the African Humid Period (AHP). The study demonstrates that structural geology and stream networks acted as accidental rainwater harvesting systems, while sandstone aquifers stored ephemeral surface water, shielding it from evaporation. These findings highlight how integrated landscape management can secure water resources in arid environments, offering lessons for modern sustainability. Additionally, the research links these ancient water systems to the later development of qanat technology by the Garamantian Empire.
di Lernia Savino, Gallinaro Marina (eds), Atlas of Tadrart Acacus Rock Art. A Unesco Wold Heritage Site in Southwestern Libya
The Atlas of Tadrart Acacus Rock Art, a monumental three-volume work spanning nearly 1,000 pages, reveals the intricate and diverse rock art traditions of the Tadrart Acacus massif in southwestern Libya. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, characterized by its extensive sandstone formations reaching up to 1,100 meters in altitude, hosts one of the most significant concentrations of prehistoric and historic rock art in North Africa. The atlas synthesizes contributions from ten authors, integrating institutional, historical, and archaeological perspectives to contextualize over 2,500 documented rock art panels. Through detailed analyses of motifs, styles, and chronological sequences, the work sheds light on the cultural and social dynamics of past societies, spanning from the Paleolithic to medieval periods. The research approach combines field documentation with archival studies, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding the artistic and symbolic expressions embedded in this unique landscape.
Shelters and bones: Site-specific archaeofaunal taphonomy for identifying formation processes in Saharan Holocene rock shelters
A study of the Takarkori rock shelter in Libya's Tadrart Acacus massif reveals that natural processes such as weathering, salt encrustation, and gnawing have created varied preservation conditions for mammal bones across different stratigraphic and chronological layers. This variability challenges assumptions about uniform taphonomic processes in arid environments, emphasizing the need for fine-scale analysis to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic influences on faunal remains. The research employs macroscopic, microscopic, and SEM-EDX analyses to systematically document bone surface modifications, providing a framework to improve interpretations of archaeological contexts in hyper-arid regions.
Spatial analyses of archaeobotanical record reveal site uses and activities at Early to Middle Holocene Takarkori (Libya, Central Sahara)
A comprehensive spatial analysis of archaeobotanical remains at the Takarkori site, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus, reveals sophisticated human activities during the Early to Middle Holocene. The study demonstrates that plant resources were not only utilized for subsistence but also integrated into ritual and cultural practices, indicating a planned and diverse management strategy. Exceptional preservation of micro- and macrofossils across multiple occupation levels allowed researchers to reconstruct socio-economic and cultural dynamics with unprecedented detail. By correlating botanical remains with site furniture and material artifacts, the study provides new insights into how space was functionally organized within the site, contributing significantly to our understanding of Holocene environmental and cultural adaptations in the Central Sahara.
A changing world
A significant environmental crisis at the end of the Early Holocene, spanning approximately 8300 to 8000 calBP, is linked to the emergence of herding practices in the Sahara. Rock-art sites in Tadrart Acacus, such as Uan Muhuggiag and Takarkori, provide evidence for Africa's earliest domestic caprines and cattle, offering insights into the transition from foraging societies to early pastoral groups. The study highlights conceptual differences between Late Acacus foragers, who used rock art to define social boundaries, and early herders, who emphasized land ownership through burial practices. This research underscores the central Sahara's role in the broader Saharan transition, despite growing pressures of insecurity and conflict.
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.
Diversification and experimentation
Late Acacus hunter-gatherers in the Tadrart Acacus region exhibited significant cultural diversification during the Early Holocene, marked by the emergence of pottery and increased use of grinding equipment. This period saw a shift toward a broader dietary spectrum, including terrestrial and aquatic foods, with evidence suggesting early experimentation in managing wild Barbary sheep and cultivating wild cereals. The material culture and settlement patterns indicate extensive inter-regional networks connecting the central Sahara to neighboring regions. Archaeobotanical records further support the exploitation of grassland grains, reflecting an adaptive response to the expanding grasslands. This study highlights a pivotal phase in Saharan prehistory characterized by technological innovation and complex subsistence strategies.
Southwestern Libya and the central Sahara
Recent advances in archaeological research have significantly enhanced our understanding of past cultural pathways in the Tadrart Acacus massif and surrounding regions of southwestern Libya. This central Saharan area, characterized by its unique physiographic units and dynamic climate history marked by Holocene wet-dry oscillations, has emerged as a pivotal site for studying Saharan hunter-gatherer cultures. Despite challenges posed by the Arab Spring, novel approaches have revealed critical insights into the region's complex environmental and cultural evolution. The study integrates current environmental features with paleoclimatic data to reconstruct past human adaptations in this equidistant zone between the Mediterranean and Sahel belts.
A subfossil spirostreptid millipede from SW Libya (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Spirostreptidae)
A subfossil millipede from the genus Archispirostreptus has been discovered at an archaeological site in the Tadrart Acacus region of southwestern Libya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its rock art. Radiocarbon dating reveals two specimens: one from 9100 to 8800 years ago and another from 6400 to 6300 years ago, marking some of the oldest records of this group in the region. The findings suggest these millipedes are relicts of a once-continuous distribution during more humid Holocene periods, likely surviving due to favorable environmental conditions that prevailed during the early and middle Holocene. This discovery sheds light on past biodiversity and climatic shifts in the Sahara, offering insights into the resilience of species during transitional climate phases.
Aquatic fauna from the Takarkori rock shelter reveals the Holocene central Saharan climate and palaeohydrography
Aquatic fauna from the Takarkori rock shelter in Libya's Tadrart Acacus region provides a window into the Central Sahara's Holocene climate, revealing marked shifts from humid to arid conditions between 10,200 and 4,650 years ago. The study highlights a decline in fish remains relative to mammals, alongside changes in species composition and size, reflecting increasing aridity. By analyzing these patterns, researchers hypothesize the location of pre-Holocene relic populations and reconstruct the region's ancient hydrological network, offering insights into the Sahara's palaeohydrography.
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.
The Visibility of Mobility: Coprolites, Dung and Neolithic Herders in Central Saharan Rock Shelters
A groundbreaking analysis of coprolites and dung deposits at the Takarkori rock shelter in Tadrart Acacus, SW Libya, reveals intricate details about Neolithic herder mobility and seasonal settlement patterns in the central Sahara. By integrating spatial distribution studies with micromorphological investigations, researchers uncovered nuanced insights into the site's organization, use, and depositional processes, offering a rare window into Late Pastoral Neolithic (5700–4650 cal BP) societal dynamics. Pollen analysis further illuminated seasonal activities and the Middle Holocene palaeoenvironment, enriching our understanding of Saharan pastoralism during this pivotal period.
Saharan Rock Art: Local Dynamics and Wider Perspectives
Recent analyses of Saharan rock art, particularly within the Tadrart Acacus and Tassili n’Ajer regions, reveal complex local dynamics and broader regional connections. This study highlights how environmental context and social-cultural factors shape artistic expression across different massifs. By integrating analytical and contextual approaches, researchers uncover new perspectives on the chronology, meaning, and relationships between artistic provinces, emphasizing Tadrart Acacus as a pivotal site for understanding Saharan heritage.
Writing the desert: the ‘Tifinagh’ rock inscriptions of the Tadrart Acacus (southwestern Libya)
Rock inscriptions in the Tadrart Acacus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwestern Libya, reveal significant insights into Saharan writing systems. The study highlights the potential of 'Tifinagh' inscriptions as tools for interpreting landscape history, integrating them with traditional archaeological approaches. Recent efforts, supported by the British Library's Endangered Archives Programme, have expanded the documentation of these inscriptions, addressing long-standing challenges in dating and decipherment. While preliminary findings underscore their role in reconstructing human activity, future research aims to deepen understanding through refined analytical methods.
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