Saharan prehistoric basketry. Archaeological and archaeobotanical analysis of the early-middle Holocene assemblage from Takarkori (Acacus Mts., SW Libya)

Lernia, Savino di; N'Siala, Isabella Massamba; Mercuri, Anna Maria

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2012.01.026

Cited by 44 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…By-products such as unripe grains, de-grained ears, plant stalks and rachis, leaves, spike parts and isolated glumes are fairly insignificant in "spot" accumulations. Winnowing by shaking, possibly with the help of baskets 25 , is the most plausible method given the limited space of the rockshelter terrace. The spikelets are unusually uniform in size (Panicum and Echinochloa: ~2.1±0.1 mm length; Sorghum: ~6.4±0.4 mm; see plots in Supplementary Information 2), probably as an effect of sieving, a common procedure in the processing of millets 31 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Insect search was carried out on 13 samples: seven spots (ID 2,9,10,12,17,20,25), one mix (ID 30), and five samples of soils external to the plant accumulations but belonging to the same stratigraphic unit and used as controls. The search was performed using a stereomicroscope and every arthropod fragment was isolated using micro-paintbrushes and identify at the lowest taxonomic level.…”

Section: Excavation and Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant behaviour from human imprints and the cultivation of wild cereals in Holocene Sahara

et al. 2018

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The human selection of food plants cannot always have been aimed exclusively at isolating the traits typical of domesticated species today. Each phase of global change must have obliged plants and humans to cope with and develop innovative adaptive strategies. Hundreds of thousands of wild cereal seeds from the Holocene 'green Sahara' tell a story of cultural trajectories and environmental instability revealing that a complex suite of weediness traits were preferred by both hunter-gatherers and pastoralists. The archaeobotanical record of the Takarkori rockshelter in southwest Libya covering four millennia of human occupation in the central Sahara gives us a unique insight into long-term plant manipulation and cultivation without domestication. The success of a number of millets was rooted in their invasive-opportunistic behaviour, rewarded during their coexistence with people in Africa. These wild plants were selected for features that were precious in the past but pernicious for agriculture today. Reconnecting past practices with modern farming strategies can help us to seek out the best resources for the future.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Excavation and Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant behaviour from human imprints and the cultivation of wild cereals in Holocene Sahara

et al. 2018

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“…Most of the Holocene human occupation is presented at Takarkori (Biagetti et al 2004;Biagetti and di Lernia 2007;di Lernia et al 2012;Dunne et al 2012). The first occupation dates from the early Holocene, featuring the semi-residential dwellings of Late Acacus foragers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bayesian Approach to ¹⁴C Dates for Estimation of Long-Term Archaeological Sequences in Arid Environments: The Holocene Site of Takarkori Rockshelter, Southwest Libya

Cherkinsky

Lernia

2013

Radiocarbon

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Caves and rockshelters are critical loci for the analysis and understanding of human trajectories in the past. Use and re-uses of the same context, however, might have had serious impacts on depositional aspects. This is particularly true for the archaeological history of desert environments, such as the central Sahara, where most of the deposits are made of loose sand, rich in organic matter. Besides traditional stratigraphic reconstructions and a detailed study of the material culture, radiocarbon measurements from different contexts analyzing several types of material (bone, dried and charred coprolite, uncharred and charred plant remains, etc.) can highlight intrinsic critical aspects of 14C determinations. These measurements must be carefully evaluated to provide a correct chronological assessment of the life history of the site. We present the statistics derived from the set of about 50 14C measurements from the site of Takarkori, southwest Libya, where early Holocene foragers and then groups of cattle herders inhabited the area from ∼10,200 to 4600 cal yr BP. We have used the BCal Bayesian 14C calibration program designed for statistical presentation of the calibrated data and the estimation of their probability for different phases. Results indicate that the Takarkori rockshelter was occupied during 4 phases of the following cultures: Late Acacus from 10,170 to 8180 cal yr BP; Early Pastoral, 8180–6890 cal yr BP; Middle Pastoral, 7160–5610 cal yr BP; and Late Pastoral, 5700–4650 cal yr BP.

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“…Alfa could be also used for fuel and bedding, but there is not ethnographic evidence of this in North Africa so far. Well preserved desiccated examples of baskets and ropes are common in early-middle Holocene sites from the mountains in the Libyan and Algerian deserts (di Lernia et al, 2012), indicating the use of plant based craft items by hunter-gatherers in this region.…”

Section: S Tenacissimamentioning

confidence: 97%

First preliminary evidence for basketry and nut consumption in the Capsian culture (ca. 10,000–7500BP): Archaeobotanical data from new excavations at El Mekta, Tunisia

Morales

Mulazzani

Belhouchet

et al. 2015

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

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Saharan prehistoric basketry. Archaeological and archaeobotanical analysis of the early-middle Holocene assemblage from Takarkori (Acacus Mts., SW Libya)

Cited by 44 publications

References 20 publications

Plant behaviour from human imprints and the cultivation of wild cereals in Holocene Sahara

Plant behaviour from human imprints and the cultivation of wild cereals in Holocene Sahara

Bayesian Approach to ¹⁴C Dates for Estimation of Long-Term Archaeological Sequences in Arid Environments: The Holocene Site of Takarkori Rockshelter, Southwest Libya

First preliminary evidence for basketry and nut consumption in the Capsian culture (ca. 10,000–7500BP): Archaeobotanical data from new excavations at El Mekta, Tunisia

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Saharan prehistoric basketry. Archaeological and archaeobotanical analysis of the early-middle Holocene assemblage from Takarkori (Acacus Mts., SW Libya)

Cited by 44 publications

References 20 publications

Plant behaviour from human imprints and the cultivation of wild cereals in Holocene Sahara

Plant behaviour from human imprints and the cultivation of wild cereals in Holocene Sahara

Bayesian Approach to 14C Dates for Estimation of Long-Term Archaeological Sequences in Arid Environments: The Holocene Site of Takarkori Rockshelter, Southwest Libya

First preliminary evidence for basketry and nut consumption in the Capsian culture (ca. 10,000–7500BP): Archaeobotanical data from new excavations at El Mekta, Tunisia

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Bayesian Approach to ¹⁴C Dates for Estimation of Long-Term Archaeological Sequences in Arid Environments: The Holocene Site of Takarkori Rockshelter, Southwest Libya