Books by Giulio Lucarini
The volume presents all the data collected during the cycle of research conducted by the Italian ... more The volume presents all the data collected during the cycle of research conducted by the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Farafra Oasis between 1990 and 2005. The 29 multidisciplinary essays contained in this book provide a detailed picture of the population of the Farafra Oasis,
hitherto one of the least well known within the Western Desert. Farafra became particularly important during the middle Holocene, the period when climate conditions were most favourable, with later brief humid episodes even in the historic periods. The results of the long-term research cycle presented here, combined with data from the survey of the whole Wadi el Obeiyid still in progress, allow the authors to identify changes in the peopling of the oasis and to define various occupation phases. The new chronology for the Wadi el Obeiyid is one of the main achievements of the book and, as demonstrated in the final chapter, is in complete agreement with the main cultural units of other territories in the Western Desert. On this chronological basis, the contacts between the latter and the populations established on the Nile are brought into sharper focus. The importance of the archaeological documents discovered at Farafra and, at the same time their fragility due to the deterioration of the physical environment and the uncontrolled human activities, make us fear for their conservation. We hope that this book, with its complete documentation of the precious nature of the Farafra Oasis landscape and its archaeological heritage, may help to promote more effective policies for its safeguard.
Papers by Giulio Lucarini
Azania:archaeological Research in Africa, Apr 3, 2021
North African territories at the end of the Pleistocene is mirrored in significant changes in lit... more North African territories at the end of the Pleistocene is mirrored in significant changes in lithic production. From a technological point of view all the Final Pleistocene lithic complexes in North Africa are characterized by an increase frequency in the production of geometric microliths and by the presence of particular tool types, such as backed blades and bladelets, which are often present in high percentages (Barich & Conati Barbaro 2003; Bouzouggar et al. 2008; Close 2002; Jackes & Lubell 2008; Lubell 1984; Lubell et al. 1984; Rahmani 2003; 2004). As for the North Libyan regions, during the twentieth century, the study of microlithic complexes was mainly focussed in two areas: the Cyrenaican and Tripolitanian littoral and the corresponding coastal ranges, the Jebel Akhdar, east of the Gulf of Sirte, and the Jebel Gharbi, west of it. These studies have helped clarify the role played by the Libyan coast as a cultural link between the Mediterranean shores and the central and ea...
Spatial Research and Geomatic Resources Applied to the Archaeology of the Farafra Oasis (Western Desert, Egypt), 2010
African Archaeological Review, 2021
In the framework of the general theme proposed by the UISPP for its 18th World Congress, this ses... more In the framework of the general theme proposed by the UISPP for its 18th World Congress, this session aims to explore the economic, demographic and social responses to climate change in North Africa during the final Pleistocene and Holocene, bringing together specialists involved in innovative multidisciplinary projects. The phase of political instability that some North African countries have experienced in recent years has unavoidably affected the archaeological research taking place there. Archaeologists have been pushed to rethink and reset their research agendas, often leading them to shift their interests towards stabler and safer regions. In the long run, this trend may have as a whole easily led to biased reconstructions of population patterns and sociocultural dynamics of the North African context. As has clearly emerged recently (Lucarini ed. 2016), Africanist archaeologists have been able to minimize this risk through a successful combination of fieldwork techniques-when possible-and multidisciplinary cutting-edge analytical works. Research programmes combining strong archaeological science approaches, applied not only to freshly excavated materials/samples, but also to " cold cases " , and the spatial analysis of easily-accessible geographical and satellite data, have proved to be particularly effective tools in overcoming the difficulties that have prevented fieldwork in some regions. They have also allowed a better re-evaluation of archaeological materials and samples from old excavations stored in museums and laboratories. At the same time, in the study of rock art, the analysis of photographic fieldwork archives-also through image-based modelling, photo enhancement software, and the creation of open-access digital rock art databases-have allowed researchers to monitor archaeological site conditions and design risk-assessment strategies to preserve sites facing degradation because of climatic change, and/or human agency. The session will highly encourage a diachronic and multidisciplinary debate among scholars working in North African countries and using different research methodologies. We particularly welcome the participation of colleagues working on palaeoenvironmental and palaeoeconomic reconstruction; spatial analysis; demographic modelling; analysis of material culture elements (especially in terms of technology and function); and mapping, analysis and protection of rock art repertoires. As we did for the session organized by our Commission for the 17 th UISPP Congress held in Burgos in September 2014 (Lucarini ed. 2016), it is our intention to publish the proceedings of this session as a special issue in an international peer-reviewed journal. References Lucarini G. (ed.) 2016. The Neolithic from the Sahara to the southern Mediterranean coast: A review of the most recent research. Quaternary International, 410 Part A.
Journal of African Archaeology, 2021
This article discusses archaeobotanical evidence from two Sheikh el-Obeiyid villages and the Bir ... more This article discusses archaeobotanical evidence from two Sheikh el-Obeiyid villages and the Bir el-Obeiyid playa, which are located along the course of the Wadi el-Obeiyid and on the top and escarpment of the Northern Plateau, at the northern edge of the Farafra Oasis, Egypt. The villages and playa are both part of a settlement system which developed from the top of the plateau, through its various erosion surfaces, down to the bottom of the wadi. The villages in particular can be considered as seasonal base camps, populated by semi-sedentary groups who engaged in intensive exploitation of the resources available in the surrounding environment during the early and mid-Holocene. These sites can be compared to the better-known Hidden Valley village site located only 20 km to the east, the remains from which were analysed during the early 2000s by Ahmed G. Fahmy. At all the sites investigated to date in Farafra there is clear evidence for gathering and use of sorghum and other species...
One of the most debated and intriguing aspects of sorghum exploitation is the long period of time... more One of the most debated and intriguing aspects of sorghum exploitation is the long period of time between the first gathering of wild species and full domestication of the plant. The earliest evidence indicating that wild sorghum was gathered comes from the Egyptian Westem Desert (Farafra and Nabta Playa areas) (Barakat & Fahmy 1999; Fahmy 2001; Wasylikowa 1997; 2001; Wasylikowa et al. 1995) and from the Atbara region (the sites of Abu Darbein. E1 Damer and Aneibis), and dates back to around 8000 bp (Haaland 1995: 159-160; Haaland & Magid 1995).
PLOS ONE, 2021
In the 12,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, human activities led to significant chan... more In the 12,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, human activities led to significant changes in land cover, plant and animal distributions, surface hydrology, and biochemical cycles. Earth system models suggest that this anthropogenic land cover change influenced regional and global climate. However, the representation of past land use in earth system models is currently oversimplified. As a result, there are large uncertainties in the current understanding of the past and current state of the earth system. In order to improve representation of the variety and scale of impacts that past land use had on the earth system, a global effort is underway to aggregate and synthesize archaeological and historical evidence of land use systems. Here we present a simple, hierarchical classification of land use systems designed to be used with archaeological and historical data at a global scale and a schema of codes that identify land use practices common to a range of systems, both imp...
Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, 2020
Mediterranean Africa forms a crucial junction between the wider Saharan zone and the rest of the ... more Mediterranean Africa forms a crucial junction between the wider Saharan zone and the rest of the Mediterranean.In contrast to its well-investigated history from the first millennium BC onward, its antecedentdynamics are very poorly understood, and deeper archaeological histories of the Mediterranean thereforeremain unbalanced and incomplete. This paper draws on a new surge in data to present the first up-todateinterpretative synthesis of this region's archaeology from the start of the Holocene until the threshold ofthe Iron Age (9600-1000 bc). It presents the evidence for climatic, environmental and sea-level change,followed by analysis of the chronological and spatial patterning of all radiocarbon dates from MediterraneanAfrica, brought together for the first time. The principal exploration then divides into three phases.During Phase 1 (9600-6200 bc) diverse forms of hunting, gathering and foraging were ubiquitous.Phase 2 (6200-4000 bc) witnessed more continuity than elsewhere ...
Quaternary International, 2016
Libyan Studies, 2004
Working with the Libyan Department of Antiquity, the Mission of the University Roma Tre in Lepcis... more Working with the Libyan Department of Antiquity, the Mission of the University Roma Tre in Lepcis Magna undertook, in April-May 1997 and 1998, an intensive topographic research in a broad coastal sample of the Lepcis Magna territory, west of Khoms and around the Roman villa of Sīlīn (site 29)(Fig. 1). The survey, in an area of about 20 square Km Dounded to the East by wādī al-Ṭūra/al-Fānī and to the West on wādī Jabrūn was conducted by a mixed Italian-Libyan team, consisting of five archaeologists on average; the sample depth was fixed to the South at 3 km from the coast line. The map S. 2190 III, Al-Quṣbat, on a scale of 1:50.000 was used as cartography.
Archaeometry, 2011
The geological sources of obsidian in the Red Sea region provide the raw material used for the pr... more The geological sources of obsidian in the Red Sea region provide the raw material used for the production of obsidian artefacts found in prehistoric sites on both sides of the Red Sea, as far afield as Egypt, the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia. This paper presents the chemical characterization of five obsidian geological samples and 20 prehistoric artefacts from a systematically excavated Neolithic settlement in highland Yemen. The major element concentrations were determined by SEM–EDS analysis and the trace element concentrations were analysed by the LA–ICP–MS method, an almost non‐destructive technique capable of chemically characterizing the volcanic glass. A comparison of archaeological and geological determinations allows the provenance of the obsidian used for the Neolithic artefacts to be traced to definite sources in the volcanic district of the central Yemen Plateau.
Antiquity, 2024
The Maghreb (north-west Africa) played an important role during the Palaeolithic and later in con... more The Maghreb (north-west Africa) played an important role during the Palaeolithic and later in connecting the western Mediterranean from the Phoenician to Islamic periods. Yet, knowledge of its later prehistory is limited, particularly between c. 4000 and 1000 BC. Here, the authors present the first results of investigations at Oued Beht, Morocco, revealing a hitherto unknown farming society dated to c. 3400-2900 BC. This is currently the earliest and largest agricultural complex in Africa beyond the Nile corridor. Pottery and lithics, together with numerous pits, point to a community that brings the Maghreb into dialogue with contemporaneous wider western Mediterranean developments.
PLOS ONE
Archaeological sites with surface hearths are a ubiquitous feature across the arid zones of the A... more Archaeological sites with surface hearths are a ubiquitous feature across the arid zones of the Arabian interior. At Jebel Oraf, in the Jubbah basin of the Nefud Desert of northern Arabia, numerous grinding stone fragments were found in association with hearths, though the original purpose of these stones was unclear owing to the poor preservation of faunal and botanic remains. Here we describe results from use-wear analysis on five grinding tools at Jebel Oraf, demonstrating that such artefacts were used during the Neolithic for plant processing, bone processing, and pigment production. Grinding stones were often broken up after initial use and fragments were subsequently re-used for alternative purposes, before finally being placed on hearths or discarded. More specifically, plants were ground or prepared and possibly cooked in the hearths, and bones were processed as well. The analyses also highlight the importance of pigment processing at Neolithic sites and provide a link to pa...
Archéo-Nil. Revue de la société pour l'étude des cultures prépharaoniques de la vallée du Nil
The Archaeological Missioll ill the Farafm Oasis is firlallced by grallts from the Ulliversity of... more The Archaeological Missioll ill the Farafm Oasis is firlallced by grallts from the Ulliversity of Rome ({ La Sapiellza I), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry a/Scient ific Research. III Egypt logis ticalsllppo,.t is provided by the IlIternatiol/(/1 Egyptial/ Oil Compal/y (IEO e), to which we owe 111(111), thanks. We are glad to ackflOwledge the participatioll ;1'1 the scientific team of: rekT-j A. Hass(lIl, responsible for geo-morphologicnl and palaeoe1lvironmentaf study; Gi ll/iD LlIea r;lli, assistant Director; Abdel MOl/eim l\tfahmoud, assistam ill the paiaeoel1Virofl1lIentai
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Books by Giulio Lucarini
hitherto one of the least well known within the Western Desert. Farafra became particularly important during the middle Holocene, the period when climate conditions were most favourable, with later brief humid episodes even in the historic periods. The results of the long-term research cycle presented here, combined with data from the survey of the whole Wadi el Obeiyid still in progress, allow the authors to identify changes in the peopling of the oasis and to define various occupation phases. The new chronology for the Wadi el Obeiyid is one of the main achievements of the book and, as demonstrated in the final chapter, is in complete agreement with the main cultural units of other territories in the Western Desert. On this chronological basis, the contacts between the latter and the populations established on the Nile are brought into sharper focus. The importance of the archaeological documents discovered at Farafra and, at the same time their fragility due to the deterioration of the physical environment and the uncontrolled human activities, make us fear for their conservation. We hope that this book, with its complete documentation of the precious nature of the Farafra Oasis landscape and its archaeological heritage, may help to promote more effective policies for its safeguard.
Papers by Giulio Lucarini
hitherto one of the least well known within the Western Desert. Farafra became particularly important during the middle Holocene, the period when climate conditions were most favourable, with later brief humid episodes even in the historic periods. The results of the long-term research cycle presented here, combined with data from the survey of the whole Wadi el Obeiyid still in progress, allow the authors to identify changes in the peopling of the oasis and to define various occupation phases. The new chronology for the Wadi el Obeiyid is one of the main achievements of the book and, as demonstrated in the final chapter, is in complete agreement with the main cultural units of other territories in the Western Desert. On this chronological basis, the contacts between the latter and the populations established on the Nile are brought into sharper focus. The importance of the archaeological documents discovered at Farafra and, at the same time their fragility due to the deterioration of the physical environment and the uncontrolled human activities, make us fear for their conservation. We hope that this book, with its complete documentation of the precious nature of the Farafra Oasis landscape and its archaeological heritage, may help to promote more effective policies for its safeguard.
This session aims to bring together scholars who apply different types of innovative non-destructive and/or micro-destructive analytical approaches to the study of ancient stone materials, at the global level, and to encourage a multidisciplinary debate among them.
This session aims to bring together scholars working in Africa who combine different approaches (e.g. experimental archaeology, use-wear, residue analyses, etc. on stone, faunal materials, pottery, metal, etc.) so that they can exchange different points of views, objectives, practical problems or constraints encountered during their studies and encourage a multidisciplinary debate.
The proceedings of this session will be published as a special issue in an international peer-reviewed journal.
Abstracts of oral or poster communications (from 200 to 300 words) can be in English or French. They should be submitted before 28 February 2018 via the online form at the page http://panaf18.fsoujda.org/en/individual-communication/ and also sent to the e-mail gl374@cam.ac.uk
The session will highly encourage a diachronic and multidisciplinary debate among scholars working in North African countries and using different research methodologies. We particularly welcome the participation of colleagues working on palaeoenvironmental and palaeoeconomic reconstruction; spatial analysis; demographic modelling; analysis of material culture elements (especially in terms of technology and function); and mapping, analysis and protection of rock art repertoires.
As we did for the session organized by our Commission for the 17 th UISPP Congress held in Burgos in September 2014 (Lucarini ed. 2016), it is our intention to publish the proceedings of this session as a special issue in an international peer-reviewed journal.
References
Lucarini G. (ed.) 2016. The Neolithic from the Sahara to the southern Mediterranean coast: A review of the most recent research. Quaternary International, 410 Part A.