100th century BCE – 90th century BCE
Kharga, Dunqul, and Kurkur Oases, Libyan Desert
The Khargan Industry was a Late Palaeolithic desert tradition found in several oases of the Libyan Desert, perhaps as early as 20,000 BC and possibly lasting until 9,000 BC. It relied heavily on short, thick flakes produced with the Levallois method, many of them truncated or abruptly backed. The industry appears to represent a non-Nilotic adaptation centered on permanent oasis water sources, with hunting probably the main subsistence activity.
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The Story
The Libyan Desert was not uniformly uninhabitable during the Late Palaeolithic. Oases such as Kharga, Dunqul, and Kurkur possessed permanent water derived in some cases from the underlying water table, allowing human groups to survive within an otherwise forbidding environment.
The Khargan Industry appeared in several of these oases, perhaps as early as 20,000 BC. Its technology was dominated by short, thick flakes made through the Levallois method. Many flakes were truncated or abruptly backed, giving the assemblage certain resemblances to the Sebilian while also suggesting a specifically desert, or non-Nilotic, specialization.
Little is known about Khargan subsistence, although hunting is presumed to have been the principal activity. At Dunqul Oasis, round and oval stone rings may represent habitation bases or other structures and are described as among the earliest known in Egypt. The duration of the industry remains uncertain, but it may have continued as late as 9,000 BC.
100th century BCE – 90th century BCE
Kharga, Dunqul, and Kurkur Oases, Libyan Desert
The Khargan Industry was a Late Palaeolithic desert tradition found in several oases of the Libyan Desert, perhaps as early as 20,000 BC and possibly lasting until 9,000 BC. It relied heavily on short, thick flakes produced with the Levallois method, many of them truncated or abruptly backed. The industry appears to represent a non-Nilotic adaptation centered on permanent oasis water sources, with hunting probably the main subsistence activity.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Libyan Desert was not uniformly uninhabitable during the Late Palaeolithic. Oases such as Kharga, Dunqul, and Kurkur possessed permanent water derived in some cases from the underlying water table, allowing human groups to survive within an otherwise forbidding environment.
The Khargan Industry appeared in several of these oases, perhaps as early as 20,000 BC. Its technology was dominated by short, thick flakes made through the Levallois method. Many flakes were truncated or abruptly backed, giving the assemblage certain resemblances to the Sebilian while also suggesting a specifically desert, or non-Nilotic, specialization.
Little is known about Khargan subsistence, although hunting is presumed to have been the principal activity. At Dunqul Oasis, round and oval stone rings may represent habitation bases or other structures and are described as among the earliest known in Egypt. The duration of the industry remains uncertain, but it may have continued as late as 9,000 BC.