Abstract
Evidence for the use of wild grasses in three prehistoric ‘neolithic’ sites in the Egyptian Sahara is presented. The three sites are Nabta Playa in the Nubian desert, Hidden Valley near the Farafra Oasis, and Eastpans near the Abu Ballas ridge. They are dated to 8000 BP, 6700 BP and 6200 BP respectively. The presence of well preserved carbonized plant remains at these three sites is related to their setting within depressions and to the presence of soft playa sediments partly covering the archaeological features. The lists of wild grasses identified from the sites show remarkable consistency. It is concluded that in the vicinity of the three sites over the period of some 2000 years, these grasses grew in dense stands and were gathered and intensively used by prehistoric people. The meaning of the term ‘neolithic’ in Saharan prehistory is discussed.
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Barakat, H., Fahmy, A.G.eD. (1999). Wild Grasses as ‘Neolithic’ Food Resources in the Eastern Sahara. In: van der Veen, M. (eds) The Exploitation of Plant Resources in Ancient Africa. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6730-8_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6730-8_3
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