Agriculture and trade amongst the Garamantes and the Fezzanese : 3000 years of archaeobotanical data from the Sahara and its margins
The nature and effectiveness of subsistence strategies are central to many theories concerning emergent complex societies and urban centres. A thorough understanding of subsistence can only be achieved by including the study of the actual plant and faunal remains which formed the subsistence base. Although research over the last two decades has slowly redressed the situation, archaeobotanical studies have hitherto been very limited within Africa, particularly outside the Nile Valley. Existing studies have tended to be dominated by testing theories concerning African centres of domestication and the origins of agriculture, in particular the origins of cultivated Pennisetum (pearl millet) or Sorghum. In terms of'complex societies' and their development, assumptions concerning the subsistence base have tended to be made in the absence of detailed archaeobotanical sampling, although a growing number of excavations at 'urban' sites have recently included detailed sampling. The focus of this thesis is the archaeobotanical evidence for agricultural activity and the role of agriculture within society during 2500-3000 years of Garamantian and post- Garamantian civilization in the Fazzan, Libyan Sahara. Settlement in
Pelling, Ruth Elizabeth
Agriculture and trade amongst the Garamantes and the Fezzanese : 3000 years of archaeobotanical data from the Sahara and its margins. The nature and effectiveness of subsistence strategies are central to many theories concerning emergent complex societies and urban centres. A thorough understanding of subsistence can only be achieved by including the study of the actual plant and faunal remains which formed the subsistence base. Although research over the last two decades has slowly redressed the situation, archaeobotanical studies have hitherto been very limited within Africa, particularly outside the Nile Valley. Existing studies have tended to be dominated by testing theories concerning African centres of domestication and the origins of agriculture, in particular the origins of cultivated Pennisetum (pearl millet) or Sorghum. In terms of'complex societies' and their development, assumptions concerning the subsistence base have tended to be made in the absence of detailed archaeobotanical sampling, although a growing number of excavations at 'urban' sites have recently included detailed sampling. The focus of this thesis is the archaeobotanical evidence for agricultural activity and the role of agriculture within society during 2500-3000 years of Garamantian and post- Garamantian civilization in the Fazzan, Libyan Sahara. Settlement in
agriculture trade amongst archaeobotanical_data sahara margin nature_effectiveness subsistence_strategy central many theory concern emergent complex_society urban_centre thorough subsistence achieve include study actual plant faunal_remain form subsistence base although slowly redress situation archaeobotanical study hitherto limit within africa particularly outside nile_valley existing_study tend dominated test theory concern african centre domestication origins_agriculture particular origin cultivate millet term complex_society development assumption_concern subsistence base tend make absence detailed archaeobotanical sampling although grow_number excavation urban_site recently include_detailed sampling focus archaeobotanical evidence agricultural_activity role agriculture within_society post civilization libyan sahara settlement