60th century BCE – 50th century BCE
Oases of the Libyan Desert
The Libyan Culture was a group or cultural tradition occupying several Libyan Desert oases between about 6,000 and 5,000 BC, or possibly earlier. During relatively moist conditions, its communities may have combined hunting with limited cultivation of wild grasses or animal herding. Numerous grinding stones suggest substantial use of plant foods, but direct evidence for cultivation or herding is lacking. Increasing desiccation appears to have curtailed this experiment before sustained food production was established.
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The Story
Between approximately 6,000 and 5,000 BC, groups designated as the Libyan Culture may have occupied several oases in the Libyan Desert. The climate was then somewhat moister, allowing oasis communities to exploit resources beyond those available during the most arid phases.
Their economy was probably still centered on hunting, but the presence of many grinding stones suggests considerable use of plant foods. The groups may have supplemented hunting with a form of incipient cultivation involving wild grasses, or perhaps with animal herding, though the excerpt stresses that direct evidence for either practice is absent.
This possible transition appears to have been short-lived. Increasing desiccation may have interrupted the development of food production in the oases, which seems to have been introduced only later, during Dynastic times, when herders from the Nile Valley periodically visited desert springs.
60th century BCE – 50th century BCE
Oases of the Libyan Desert
The Libyan Culture was a group or cultural tradition occupying several Libyan Desert oases between about 6,000 and 5,000 BC, or possibly earlier. During relatively moist conditions, its communities may have combined hunting with limited cultivation of wild grasses or animal herding. Numerous grinding stones suggest substantial use of plant foods, but direct evidence for cultivation or herding is lacking. Increasing desiccation appears to have curtailed this experiment before sustained food production was established.
Continue exploring
The Story
Between approximately 6,000 and 5,000 BC, groups designated as the Libyan Culture may have occupied several oases in the Libyan Desert. The climate was then somewhat moister, allowing oasis communities to exploit resources beyond those available during the most arid phases.
Their economy was probably still centered on hunting, but the presence of many grinding stones suggests considerable use of plant foods. The groups may have supplemented hunting with a form of incipient cultivation involving wild grasses, or perhaps with animal herding, though the excerpt stresses that direct evidence for either practice is absent.
This possible transition appears to have been short-lived. Increasing desiccation may have interrupted the development of food production in the oases, which seems to have been introduced only later, during Dynastic times, when herders from the Nile Valley periodically visited desert springs.