Abstract
The Kel Tadrart Tuareg, desert pastoralists from the Tadrart Acacus massif in Libya, were the subject of an ethnoarchaeological research carried out between 2003 and 2011. By means of a multi-pronged approach, a variety of topics were explored, ranging from the Kel Tadrart interactions with natural resources and the settlement pattern, to the layout of campsites and the processes of sites’ abandonment. The study of the Kel Tadrart adaptation to an arid environment and patchy resources, along with the recording of material evidence, holds direct relevance to archaeologists, anthropologists, and stakeholders interested in sustainable dryland pastoralism.
Highlights
A programme of ethnoarchaeological research on the Kel Tadrart pastoral community was undertaken between 2003 and 2011
Originally designed to answer typical ethnoarchaeological research questions related to the study of mobile societies in arid lands, this work is relevant in terms of our understanding of human adaptation to extremely arid environments
The models generally used to reconstruct past cultural trajectories in the Saharan region often emphasize the concept of ‘optimality’, represented by wet periods, and tend to link dry intervals with the abandonment of sites or regions. These models typically maintain that the reduced availability of natural resources due to climatic deterioration led to a decrease in population, both through demographic decline and actual movements of populations in the past (e.g. Kuper and Kröpelin 2006)
Summary
A programme of ethnoarchaeological research on the Kel Tadrart pastoral community was undertaken between 2003 and 2011. The models generally used to reconstruct past cultural trajectories in the Saharan region often emphasize the concept of ‘optimality’, represented by wet periods, and tend to link dry intervals with the abandonment of sites or regions. These models typically maintain that the reduced availability of natural resources due to climatic deterioration led to a decrease in population, both through demographic decline and actual movements of populations in the past (e.g. Kuper and Kröpelin 2006). Human responses to aridification might have not been linear, The study area The Tadrart Acacus is a sandstone massif stretching northsouth along the south west corner of Libya (Figure 1).
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