Trade in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond (Trans-Saharan Archaeology)

Cambridge University Press, 11/30/2017
EAN 9781107196995, ISBN10: 110719699X

Hardcover, 466 pages, 25.4 x 18.4 x 3.2 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English

Saharan trade has been much debated in modern times, but the main focus of interest remains the medieval and early modern periods, for which more abundant written sources survive. The pre-Islamic origins of Trans-Saharan trade have been hotly contested over the years, mainly due to a lack of evidence. Many of the key commodities of trade are largely invisible archaeologically, being either of high value like gold and ivory, or organic like slaves and textiles or consumable commodities like salt. However, new research on the Libyan people known as the Garamantes and on their trading partners in the Sudan and Mediterranean Africa requires us to revise our views substantially. In this volume experts re-assess the evidence for a range of goods, including beads, textiles, metalwork and glass, and use it to paint a much more dynamic picture, demonstrating that the pre-Islamic Sahara was a more connected region than previously thought.

Preface D. J. Mattingly
1. The Garamantes and the origins of Saharan trade
state of the field and future agendas D. J. Mattingly
Part I. Connectivity and Networks
2. The invisible pastoralists
camel-herding, raiding, and Saharan trade and settlement Judith Scheele
3. What made Islamic trade distinctive, as compared to pre-Islamic trade? Anne Haour
4. The Trans-Saharan trade connection with Gao during the first millennium AD Mamadou Cissé
5. Ships of the desert, camels of the ocean
Indian ocean perspectives on Trans-Saharan trade Mark Horton, Alison Crowther and Nicole Boivin
6. The economies and cultures of the Trans-Saharan gold trade from pre-Islamic times to the modern era Sam Nixon
7. Saharan exports to the Roman world Andrew Wilson
Part II. Trade in Organic Materials
8. Early Saharan trade
the organic evidence D. J. Mattingly and Franca Cole
9. Textiles and textile trade in the first millennium AD
evidence from Egypt Lise Bender Jørgensen
10. Circulation and trade of textiles at the southern borders of Roman Africa Stéphanie Guédon
Part III. Trade in Inorganic Materials
11. Early Saharan trade
the inorganic evidence V. Leitch, C. N. Duckworth, A. Cuénod, D. J. Mattingly, M. Sterry and F. Cole
12. Can we speak of pottery and amphora 'import substitution' in inland regions of Roman Africa? Michael Bonifay
13. Pottery and trade in North Africa and the Sub-Sahara Anna Leone
14. Track and trace
archaeometric approaches to the study of early Trans-Sahara trade Sonja Magnavita
15. Glass beads in Trans-Saharan trade Laure Dussubieux
16. Concluding discussion D. J. Mattingly, V. Leitch, C. N. Duckworth, A. Cuénod and M. Sterry.