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Coring Lake Fati and Settlement Archaeology of the Middle Niger Lakes Region

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Abstract

A two-part archaeological and limnological study of the Malian Lakes Region has revealed the high research potential of the region. The exploratory reconnaissance of the Gorbi Valley, on the eastern edge of Lake Fati, identified, mapped and sampled eight new sites. The results of the survey suggest a long duration occupation of the Gorbi Valley, as well as possible connections with the populations of the Inland Niger Delta and southeastern Mauritania. The Lake Fati core represents the first lake sediment core from the western Sahel. This 5.4 m sediment core contains a continuous record of lake mud from 10.43 to 4.66 kyr BP. Analysis of the core reveals that Al and Si abundances are decoupled following a deposition of 16 cm of sand at 4.5 ka BP, with Al decreasing and Si increasing rapidly. This period of sand deposition is significantly younger than that of the transition at 5.5 ka BP recorded in marine cores from ODP site 658, taken off the Mauritanian coast, potentially extending the timeframe in which dune systems were stable and lake systems were at their highstand. While highlighting the need for more localized climate chronologies and archaeological investigations, this study may shed light on circumstances surrounding the initial colonization and further development of the Lakes Region.

Résumé

Une étude de la Zone Lacustre du Mali a montré la potentialité de la région en matière de recherche plus archéologique que limnologique. Une reconnaissance d’exploration effectuée dans la vallée de Gorbi, sur la côte orientale du lac de Fati, a mis au jour huit nouveaux sites. Ces sites ont été cartographiés, et des échantillons archéologiques y ont été systématiquement prélevés. Les résultats de la reconnaissance indiquent une occupation de longue durée de la vallée de Gorbi, ainsi que des connexions possibles avec les populations de l’intérieur du delta du Niger et de la région du sud-est de la Mauritanie. Les échantillons résultant du carottage des sédiments du lac Fati représente la première carotte de sédiments lacustres prélevés du Sahel occidental. La carotte est de 5,4 mètres et continuellement enregistre la déposition des sédiments du lac étendant de 10430 à 4660 BP. L’analyse de cette carotte révèle un dépôt de couche contenant de l’Al et du Si en abondance, succédée par un autre dépôt de couche de 16 cm de sable à 4,500 BP, avec Al diminuant et Si augmentant de plus en plus rapidement. La date de ce dépôt de sable est beaucoup plus récente que la celle de la transition à 5,500 BP enregistrée dans les carottes marines du site ODP 658, antérieurement prélevé de la côte mauritanienne. Ce qui étend probablement la phase pendant laquelle les systèmes dunaires étaient stables et les systèmes lacustres atteignaient la plus haute de leur niveau. Bien que plus de chronologies climatiques localisées et des recherches archéologiques soient encore nécessaires, cette étude contribue déjà à l’éclaircissement du peuplement initial de la Zone Lacustre du Mali, et l’évolution subséquente de l’occupation de l’espace dans la région.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Yale Climate and Energy Institute (YCEI). We would like to thank the other members of the research team: Douglas Park, Courtney Warren and Dr. Ali Ould Sidi, Roderick McIntosh for his unwavering support and our friends and colleagues at the Direction Nationale du Patrimoine Culturel and the Ministère de la Culture du Mali, our colleagues Jessamy Doman and Tanambelo Rasolondrainy for their keen eyes and honest revising, as well as the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. Research Permit number 03697166-88/09/MESRS/CNRST was provided by the Centre National de la Reserche Scientifique et Technologique, Mali. Also, many thanks go to the many villages in the Goundam region for welcoming us to do the field research for this study.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Peter R. Coutros

  2. Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

    Peter M. J. Douglas

  3. Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Peter M. J. Douglas

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Coutros, P.R., Douglas, P.M.J. Coring Lake Fati and Settlement Archaeology of the Middle Niger Lakes Region. Afr Archaeol Rev 32, 249–266 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-015-9189-4

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