UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

West Africa before the seventh century
grains which are considered, because of their size and shape, to represent
a domesticated variety of Pennisetum. From Meniet, Pons and Quezel 9
identified two pollen grains belonging to a level dated to about —3600
which may be a cultivated cereal. Hugot 10 suggests that these are wheat.
Other less conclusive evidence for seed-crop cultivation in this area
comes from the rock shelter at Sefar in the Tassili, radio-carbon dated
to about —3100. Paintings in this shelter 11 appear to depict cultivation,
while linguistic evidence suggests a considerable antiquity for sorghum
cultivation in the central Sahara. 12 Apart from occupying rock shelters,
the prehistoric people of this region also occupied relatively large permanent
villages or settlements on hillsides and the edges of escarpments overlooking
lakes or wadis, 13 and used an industry particularly rich in polished and
flaked axes, grinders and querns, dimple stones, rubbers, pottery and
nondescript flake tools.
It has often been suggested, with little or no justification, 14 that this
crop complex represents stimulus - diffusion from the Near East via Egypt.
First, the cultural complex associated with the possible seed-crops found
in central Saharan sites is very different from those of Egypt and the Near
East. Secondly, the dates for the archaeologically earliest cultivated crops
in Egypt appear to be later at least than those of Amekni. Thirdly, the
cultural similarities (e.g. numerous millstones) between the central Saharan
complex and the pre-ceramic complex discovered by Hobler and Hester
(1969) 15 in the vicinity of the Dungal and Dineigi oases in southwestern
Libya are nowhere near enough to suggest any close relationship.
Unlike the Hoggar complex, the Libyan one is a blade industry and not
a flake industry and contains several sickle-blades, a variety of projectiles,
drill-like piercing tools and biface knives. This complex, which dates from
at least —6000 and may go back to as early as —8300, bears more similarity
to the Mesolithic industries of north-east Africa and the Nubian region
of the Nile. Thus although the Libyan complex occurs at the north-eastern
end of the large semi-circular plateau running through the central Sahara,
it cannot possibly be the direct precursor of the Hoggar 'Neolithic' which
occurs at the south-western end of the same plateau. Archaeologists working
in the area might do better to look for the precursor first in the latter
area (i.e. the Hoggar).
9. A. Pons and P. Quezel, pp. 27-35.
10. H. J. Hugot, 1968. p. 485.
11. H. Lhote, 1959, p. 118.
12. G. Camps, 1960b, p. 79.
13. J. P. Maître, 1966, pp. 95-104.
if P. J. Munson, 1972.
15. P. 11. Hobler and J. J. Hester, pp. 120-30.
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