1,720,983 research outputs found
North and Saharan Africa: geography and chronology
No full textNorthern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to sub-Saharan Africa and by Egypt to the Sinai Peninsula, which is in Asia. Northern Africa can be divided into four big natural zones: the first is Maghreb that stretches from Tunisia to Morocco along the Mediterranean coast and is predominantly mountainous (Fig. 1). The second is the Sahara region, covered by the desert that goes from the Atlantic to the Red Sea, and the third is Sahel, a belt of grasslands and savannas south of the desert. Finally there is the Nile Valley that borders the Sahara desert to the east Northern Africa is underlain by folded sedimentary rock and is, geologically, more closelyrelated to Europe than to the rest of the continentof Africa. The Atlas Mountains, which occupy most of the region, are a part of the Alpine mountain system of southern Europe
Microlithism and Landscape Exploitation along the Cyrenaican Coast between the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene: A Matter of Continuity. In Living in the Landscape. Essays in honour of Graeme Barker
No full textNorth African territories at the end of the Pleistocene
is mirrored in significant changes in lithic production.
From a technological point of view all the Final
Pleistocene lithic complexes in North Africa are characterized
by an increase frequency in the production of
geometric microliths and by the presence of particular
tool types, such as backed blades and bladelets, which
are often present in high percentages (Barich & Conati
Barbaro 2003; Bouzouggar et al. 2008; Close 2002;
Jackes & Lubell 2008; Lubell 1984; Lubell et al. 1984;
Rahmani 2003; 2004).
As for the North Libyan regions, during the
twentieth century, the study of microlithic complexes
was mainly focussed in two areas: the Cyrenaican and
Tripolitanian littoral and the corresponding coastal
ranges, the Jebel Akhdar, east of the Gulf of Sirte, and
the Jebel Gharbi, west of it. These studies have helped
clarify the role played by the Libyan coast as a cultural
link between the Mediterranean shores and the central
and eastern Sahara during the Late Pleistocene and the
beginning of the Holocene
The lithic assemblages: production, use and discard
No full textCe chapitre présente les industries lithiques trouvées dans les deux sites principaux, G 1 et
G3, à Gobero. Les assemblages sont analysés en fonction de leurs caractéristiques
technologiques et morphologiques et des différentes phases de la chaîne opératoire
Libyan-Italian joint mission in the Jebel Gharbi (Tripolitania). The Holocene sequence of the Jifarah plain
No full textThe importance of Jebel Gharbi, the mountainous range
southwest of Tripoli, like the rest of the Libyan coast,
became particularly relevant during the Holocene. At
that time the territory may have played a key role in the
neolithization process which occurred along the southern
coast of the Mediterranean. Thanks to its central location
the Jebel can give an important contribution to
understand the exchanges which took place along the
coast from both the western regions of Maghreb and
from those to the East, mediated by the Nile Delta.
Another no less important theme to be explored are
the relations between the Mediterranean region and the
sphere of southern Libya, in the continental Sahara.
Though in both regions the pre-production phase is manifest
with similar modes of interaction with the environment,
the Sahara has its own characteristics belonging
to a complex of cultures (the Saharo-Sudanese complex)
which knew both very early ceramics together with herding
on cattle and caprines.
After a long cycle of research aimed at the reconstruction
of the chrono-stratigraphic sequence and the
paleoenvironment throughout Middle and Upper Pleistocene,
during the most recent campaigns the Jebel Gharbi
Archaeological Mission investigated the Holocene fine
sediments, and sites associated with them, which are
particularly numerous at the base of the Jebel escarpment.
As a matter of fact, no significant site for the
Holocene occupation was encountered in the inner region
of the Jebel. On the contrary, the most suited area
to the study of the Holocene occupation was the plain
that begins at the foot of Jebel and reaches the coast: the
Jifarah.
Since 2005 the Jifarah plain became the main investigation
focus of the Archaeological Mission in Jebel Gharbi,
while continuing survey activity also in the southernmost
area, to the limits of the Hammada el Hamra. In a
strip of land close to the base of the Jebel escarpment, the
Jurassic sandstone bedrock is exposed in the beds of
many small wadis. At several places the scarce thickness
of the alluvial deposits allowed the emergence of groundwater
through springs (this phenomenon may have coincided
with seismic episodes). The last campaign in the
field, in autumn 2010, investigated some relevant sites in
Wadi Allohim and the subsequent processing of the fieldwork
data has allowed us to establish a basic Neolithic
sequence for the Holocene Jifarah occupation.
The main problem that our research had to face is the
exclusive presence of open air sites in which most of the
records, especially concerning the bioarchaeological
component, was not preserved. Therefore we had to develop
a research methods that could overcome the limits
of the archaeological record. To answer this difficulty
paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstruction
were emphasized at the maximum.
The palaeoclimatic model of the Jifarah indicated the
presence of a long phase of relative humidity between
6500 and 3500 BC, preceded and followed by two arid
phases, the last of which represents the beginning of the
modern aridity. The abundance of water, and the resulting
wealth of vegetation, allowed for the continuity of
the occupation and encouraged the process of economic
change towards pastoral based organization. The Shakshuk,
Wadi Bazina and El Jawsh areas appeared the
most suitable territories for the survey.
A transitional phase in the early Holocene (Jifarah A:
Early Neolithic, 6150-5750 cal BC / 8100-7700 cal BP)
might have represented a continuation of the broad spectrum
exploitation economy by collectors who visited seasonally
ponds and marshes. The arid trend typical of
this period could have made the marsh areas more favorable
locations. Not be ruled out that the economic model
of these groups would include already goat breeding,
which at this time is known in the Neolithic layers of
Haua Fteah in Cyrenaica.
During the following phase (Jifarah B: Middle Neolithic,
from 4750 to 3650 cal BC / 6700 to 5700 and 5400
cal BP) the same region presents a large number of
hearths and mounds. These steinplätze are clear markers
of the presence of shepherds groups and a proof of
their short living on the territory. Along with the steinplätze
larger encampments were detected which functioned
as base-camps; they are located in areas rich in
vegetation where also gathering activities could be carried
out such as site SJ-00-59 at Wadi Bazina or site SJ-
10-96 in the Wadi Allohim.
Subsequently, after the arid interval of 3400 cal BC
(Jifarah C: Late Neolithic, from 3400 to 2450 BC / 5400-
4400 cal BP) the adoption of nomadic pastoralism seems
to have been the preferred solution
Oasi di Farafra- L'indagine archeologica nell'Wadi El Obeiyid (Campagne 2008 e 2009)
No full textRiassunto in Inglese e Arab
Source of the prehistoric lithic artefacts and grinding stones of Wadi el Obeiyid: petrographical and geochemical approach
No full textStone raw materials are valuable indicators of human activity and movements during the Stone Age. By analysing the physical and chemical characteristics of a lithic complex it is possible to reconstruct how the human group interacted with the environment. At the same time, the resources procurement system is a tool for measuring the living-space of an ethnic group and, consequently, of a specic culture.
These aspects become particularly interesting if we transfer the analysis onto the diachronic level, studying cultural and economic choices in eri. The system of raw material procurement is one of the most interesting aspects since rocks are xed resources, not affected by seasonal and climate changes as are water, fauna and botanical resources
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Verso una biografia culturale dello strumentario in pietra levigata delle società di caccia-raccolta
No full textLo studio dei resti litici per la lavorazione dei vegetali e dei residui animali viene portato avanti attraverso l'uso della microscopia combinata all'usura litica, all'analisi dei residui e alla fotogrammetria
The Application of 3D Modelling and Spatial Analysis to the Study of Groundstones Used in Wild Plants Processing.
No full textIn recent years, several works have proved the reliability of the application of 3D modeling and spatial analysis in the study of
stone tool use. Monitoring surface morphometry resulting from the use of lithic tools has the potential to objectively quantify and
identify patterns of modifications associated to specific activities and worked materials. In particular, the combination of surface
morphometrywithasystematicexperimentalframeworkandusewearanalysishasthepotentialofforeseeingresidue distribution
areas over the groundstone surfaces, hence providing a key aid in establishing sampling strategies applied to archeological
specimens. Here, we propose an approach that applies 3D modeling, performed through a close-range photogrammetry, and
the use of GISsoftware to investigate surface modifications and residue distribution on groundstones used to process wild plants.
Our work comprises a dedicated experimental framework in which modern tool replicas have been used to process different
species of wild plant foods through grinding, crushing, and pounding. By applying 3D modeling and spatial analysis, we were
able to characterize patterns of surface modifications related to each of the worked substances and activities performed.
Moreover, we monitored the distribution of starch granules over the experimental groundstone surfaces and its variation in
relation to the state of the worked substance and the action carried out. Our results provide one of the first experimental dataset
focused on the use of groundstones for wild plant processing, and a reliable methodology for further studies related to the
exploitation of stone technology and wild vegetal substances in the past
- …
