Dar Tichitt
Coordinates: 18 ° 21 '43 " N , 9 ° 9' 13" W.
Dar Tichitt (also Dhar Tichitt) is a region with a number of archaeological sites from the Neolithic in southern Mauritania . Here Patrick J. Munson found the oldest evidence of agriculture on the southern edge of the western Sahara . They present a Mande- speaking population who immigrated from the Niger region .
The first settlements, which are attributed to the so-called Naghez phase (1200–1000 BC), consisted of round farmsteads connected by wide paths. Although herds of cattle and goats were kept, fishing, sometimes hunting, and the gathering of wild grass species played an important role. Millet , rice , sorghum , sweet potatoes and palm fruits were domesticated during this period .
The tools they used stone hatchets , stone arrowheads and gouges . Ceramic was also used. During the Chebka phase (1000–700 BC) lack of rain caused the lakes to dry up. Fishing was no longer possible, but animal husbandry continued, and although wild grasses were still collected, there is no lack of evidence of millet cultivation. The construction did not change during the Chebka phase. The settlements moved to the mountains were provided with protective walls and fixed gates, which is attributed to the growing pressure from nomads ( Berbers ). The most recent phase (Akanjeir phase, 700-300 BC) brought further climate deterioration and the end of settlement.
literature
- Glyn Daniel (Ed.): Lübbes Encyclopedia of Archeology. Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1980, ISBN 3-7857-0236-1 .
- Patrick J. Munson: Archeology and the prehistoric origins of the Ghana Empire. In: Journal of African History. Vol. 21, No. 4, 1980, pp. 457-466, doi : 10.1017 / s0021853700018685 , JSTOR 182004 .
Web links
- [1] (PDF; 4.6 MB) Latest research (English)