Neolithic Subpluvial

The Neolithic Neolithic Subpluvial or the rainy season (English Holocene Wet Phase ) was a longer period in the Holocene, who distinguished himself in North Africa by a decidedly humid climate. In his 7500-3500 BC (or 7000-3000 BC) course lasting greening the Sahara.

Dating

Most of the period 7000-3000 is given BC for the duration of the Neolithic Subpluvials, the end of the wet period is occasionally seen around 3300 BC.

The Neolithic Subpluvial sat at the beginning of the Atlantic in the 7th millennium BC, and kept up his strong influence over some 2000 years. After 5.9 kilos Year Event ( 3900 BC), its effect was already weakened. Towards the end of the Neolithic Subpluvials (3500 or 3000 BC) established again dry conditions. This led to the desertification of the Sahara, whose aridity continues to this day.

Geography and hydrography

During the Neolithic Subpluvials the hydrographic conditions in large parts of North, Central and East Africa very different from today's conditions were. At that time, existing lakes were up to 10 meters higher water levels. Thus, the Lake Chad reached a surface area of 400,000 square kilometers; he outperforming today's Caspian Sea and its water level was increased up to 30 meters. Also, changes in discharge were gearing such as the Turkana of Kenya, who was then the Nile towards dehydrated. During the Neolithic Subpluvials several flat ground, lakes and rivers, which then disappeared later and can now be accounted for only by means of radar and satellite pictures emerged.

Ecology

During the Neolithic Subpluvials ruled fertile climatic conditions in North Africa. The current Sahara consisted of a savanna ecosystem with elephants, giraffes and other typical of the Sahel zone south to animals. Even now extinct Großtaxa such as Sivatherium and Pelorovis were still to be found.

The African explorer and historian Roland Oliver is a description of the conditions of that time:

Today consisting of bare rock highlands of the central Sahara to the south of the Libyan Desert, such as the Tibesti and the Hoggar were, at that time consisted of forests of oak, walnut, linden, alder and elm. The regions of something deeper as the Tassili and the Acacus in the north, and the Ennedi and the Aïr in the south were settled by olive and juniper trees and Aleppo pines. The Talungen took all year round flowing waters rich in fish, which were framed by seed-bearing grass landscapes.

Cultural impact

The mild and fertile conditions during the Neolithic Subpluvials now allowed a far more important human occupation of the Nile Valley in Egypt. In Sudan and throughout the Sahara region is neolithic communities settled, including cultures, for example, in the Tassili n'Ajjer ( East Algeria) left rock paintings.

The climatic changes brought to the people of that time a significant increase in food fish, poultry, freshwater crustaceans, rodents, hippos and crocodiles with him. To Capture the aquatic biomass rafts, boats, fish traps, traps, harpoons, nets, hooks, fishing lines and Sinkgewichte were used. The embossed from the river of life enabled much larger communities than was the case among hunter clans. As a consequence of locally produced pottery, it came to culinary innovations such as soup, fish stew and porridge, the latter of collecting cereal needs.

In 2000, University of Chicago discovered by archaeologists at the site Gobero in the Ténéré Desert in northeastern Niger human remains, dating from the Neolithic Subpluvial. The graves findings have remained outstanding and thus provide a unique evidence of human settlements; they are now the cultures of Kiffiums ( 7700-6200 BC) and the Teneriums ( 5200-2500 BC) assigned.

Furthermore, the reference to name of Anthony Arkell in Sudan on the Blue Nile and the references of Gabriel camps in southern Algeria ( in Tamanrasset Amekni ). From French archaeologist further excavations in Chad, the bone harpoons and wavy lines pottery were conducted in Mali and Niger, promoted to light.

Arkell 's archaeological site was located in a savannah landscape with a three times higher precipitation than today. The skeletal remains suggested a kinship with today's Nilotic speakers such as the Nuer and Dinka. Radiocarbon dating gave an age of 7000-5000 BC Arkell pulled the basis of similarities with the French discoveries in West Africa, the conclusion that these hunters and fishermen had westward formed a distinct culture at the latitude of Khartoum up to Mali.

The site of Camps has been dated to 6700 BC. Their culture bearers were hunter-gatherers and also Negroid origin. Also they knew wavy lines pottery.