Influence de l’environnement sur la gestion des ressources au Néolithique dans la zone refuge du Dhar Néma (Mauritanie sud-orientale)

Abstract

Presented here are some aspects of an archaeological investigation conducted in eastern Mauritania in the region of Dhar Nema, a south-eastern extension of the Oualata and Tichitt cliffs (Dhar). This evidence is presented with a focus on its environmental context. The escarpment of the Dhar, a specific geomorphological environment, provided a refuge geoecosystem that continued to supply water during the second part of the Holocene. During the period leading to the current aridity in the southern Sahara, the neolithic populations came there to seek refuge. Amongst more than 70 sites studied, six were chosen that each illustrate a different topographic and ecological context and the interactions of the populations with these. Their location corresponds to varied geological “accidents” oriented perpendicular to the escarpment and in direction of the Baten. In order to survive in this fragile environment during this warming period, the populations developed essential social and technical innovations. These sites have evidenced the characteristics of the evolution of a culture that existed from the 3rd millennium before our era, with notably a social organisation in villages as well as agricultural practices and animal husbandry, which developed from the commencement of their sedentarisation.

Geochemical identity of pre-Dogon and Dogon populations at Bandiagara (Mali, 11th–20th cent. AD)

“…AD. Briefly, the Plateau was occupied during more humid periods whereas the Cliff played the role of a refuge zone, offering permanent water resources, similarly to what can be found in the Mauritanian Dhar (Person et al, 2012).…”

“…They were occupying the Bandiagara Cliff before the arrival of the Dogon but their provenance, genetic affiliation, way of life, as well as settlement location continue to be investigated (Bedaux, 1972). Finally this work will also expand the anthropobiogeochemical database of West Africa that may constitute a robust baseline for further dietary reconstructions (Balter, 2001;Maurer et al, 2014;Person et al, 2012;Zeitoun et al, 2005).…”