Abstract
In several areas of Africa, pastoralism that existed prehistorically no longer survives today. Two such areas, the Southwestern Cape of South Africa and the Sahara, are discussed here, outlining methodologies for reconstruction of adaptive strategies on the basis of environmental parameters that constrained the pastoral economies.
Résumé
En plusieurs régions d'Afrique, le pastoralisme qui existait en temps préhistorique a maintenant disparu. L'article discute de deux de ces régions, le cap sud-ouest de l'Afrique du Sud et le Sahara, donnant un aperçu des méthodologies qui visent la reconstruction des stratégies adaptatrices en se fondant sur les paramètres écologiques qui ont contraint les économies pastorales.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acocks, J. P. H. 1975. Veld types of South Africa.Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa 40.
Bernus, E. 1967. Cueillette et exploitation des ressources spontanées du Sahel nigerien par les Kel Tamasheq. Cah.ORSTOM, Sér. Sci. hum. 4(1):31–52.
Binford, L. R. 1981.Bones: ancient men and modern myths. New York: Academic Press.
Boucher, C. 1981. Floristic and structural features of the coastal foreland vegetation south of the Berg River, Western Cape Province, South Africa.Proceedings of a Symposium on Coastal Lowlands of the Western Cape: pp. 21–26. University of the Western Cape, Cape Town.
Bremaud, O. 1955. Nomadisme et transhumance en Afrique subsaharienne.Rev. d'Élévage et de Médécine vet. des Pays trop. 8:327–55.
Brock, E. 1959.The nutritive status of the natural pastures on the most important soil types of the Swartland. M.Sc. Thesis, University of Stellenbosch.
Dyson-Hudson, R. and Smith. E. A. 1978. Human territoriality: an ecological assessment.American Anthropologist 80:21–41.
Gast, M. 1966.Alimentation des populations de l'Ahaggar. Centre de Recherches Anthropologiques, Prehistoriques et Ethnographiques Alger, Mém. 8. Paris: Arts et Métiers Graphiques
Hugot, J. J. 1957. Essai sur les armatures de pointes de flèches du Sahara.Libyca 5:89–236.
Lauer, W. and Frankenberg, P. 1980. Modelling of climate and plant cover in the Sahara for 5500 B.P. and 18000 B.P.Palaeoecology of Africa 12:307–14.
Maley, J. 1977. Palaeoclimates of the Central Sahara during the early Holocene.Nature 269:573–77.
National Research Council 1978.Nutrient requirements of dairy cattle (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences.
Pratt, D. J. and Gwynne M. D. 1977.Rangeland management and ecology in East Africa. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Raven-Hart, R. 1967.Before van Riebeeck. Cape Town: Struik.
Schapera, I. and Farrington, E. 1933.The early Cape Hottentots. Van Riebeeck Soc., Publ. No. 13. Cape Town.
Smith, A. B. 1980. The Neolithic tradition in the Sahara. InThe Sahara and the Nile (eds M. A. J. Williams and H. Faure): pp. 451–65. Rotterdam: Balkema.
Smith, S. E. 1980. The environmental adaptation of nomads in the West African Sahel: a key to understanding prehistoric pastoralists. InThe Sahara and the Nile (eds M. A. J. Williams and H. Faure): pp. 467–87. Rotterdam: Balkema.
Stenning, D. J. 1959.Savannah nomads. London: Oxford Univ. Press.
Stenning, D. J. 1960. Transhumance, migratory drift, migration: patterns of Pastoral Fulani nomadism.Cultures and societies of Africa (eds and P. O. Henberg): pp. 139–59. New York: Random House.
Stindt, H. W., Celliers, P. G., Joubert, J. G. V. and Perold, I. S. 1965. The nutritive value of natural pastures in the Humansdorp area in the southeast Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa.Dept. of Agric. Tech. Services, Tech. Comm. No. 45. Pretoria.
Thom, H. B. 1952.The journal of Jan van Riebeeck, 3 vols. Cape Town: Balkema.
Tubiana, M. J. and Tubiana, J. 1977.The Zaghawa from an ecological perspective. Rotterdam: Balkema.
Turton, D. 1979. War, peace and Mursi identity. InWarfare among East African herders 3:179–210.
Waterhouse, G. 1932.Simon van der Stel's journal of his expedition to Namaqualand 1685–6. Dublin: Hodges, Figgus.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Smith, A.B. Environmental limitations on prehistoric pastoralism in Africa. Afr Archaeol Rev 2, 99–111 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01117227
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01117227