Abstract
The late prehistoric archaeological sequence from Dakhleh Oasis, South Central Egypt, is examined for evidence on the origins and development of pastoralism in northeastern Africa, under the dry but fluctuating environmental conditions of the early to mid-Holocene. Around 8800 B.P., relatively sedentary groups of theMasaracultural unit have a broad-based subsistence system but no sign of food production. Herding appears ca. 7000 B.P., at a time of increased and possibly less seasonal rainfall, on large lateBashendi Asites with stone-built structures and a still-diversified food economy. With the drying trend after 6500 B.P., mobileBashendi Bcattle and goat herders continue to aggregate in the oasis for a millennium, still utilizing a variety of resources. More settledSheikh Muftahgroups occupy the oasis lowlands until Old Kingdom times. Throughout the sequence, the early pastoralism of Dakhleh seems more African than West Asian in character.
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