Early North African Cattle Domestication and Its Ecological Setting: A Reassessment

Abstract

Nearly four decades have passed since an independent North African centre for cattle domestication was first proposed in 1980, based on the Combined Prehistoric Expedition's work in the Nabta Playa-Bir Kiseiba region of southern Egypt, and the initial rigorous debates between Andrew B. Smith and Fred Wendorf, Romuald Schild and Achilles Gautier. More recently, geneticists have entered the fray with determinations on the spread of haplotypes, and the timing thereof, that extend the scope and increase the complexity of the debate. Here, a new look at the botanical data and a re-analysis of the geology of Bir Kiseiba-Nabta Playa rejects the ecological foundations of the early African domestication model, while a detailed examination of the published osteological and radiometric data from the same area reveals a more nuanced picture than has been recognised to date. These results are placed into context by a wider review of the genetic and other archaeological evidence from the Western Desert of Northeast Africa, where no other cattle remains designated as domesticated have been found. It is concluded that (a) Bos remains from the early Holocene at Nabta Playa-Bir Kiseiba were those of hunted aurochs; (b) domesticated caprines were likely present in Northeast Africa before domesticated cattle; and (c) the domesticated cattle spreading across Northeast and northern Africa, including Nabta Playa-Bir Kiseiba, from the late seventh millennium BC or early sixth millennium BC onwards were descendants of Bos taurus domesticated in the Middle Euphrates area of the Middle East.

On the Origins and Dissemination of Domesticated Sorghum and Pearl Millet across Africa and into India: a View from the Butana Group of the Far Eastern Sahel

“…Such systems would have become increasingly difficult as one moved south (where winters were warmer) and away from the Nile (where rains were scarce or focused in summer). Beyond crops, livestock were fundamental to the economy, including goats and sheep as well as cattle (Barich 2016; Brass 2018; Grigson, 1991, 2000; Linseele et al 2014; Shirai 2013; Stock and Gifford-Gonzalez 2013). By contrast, the Sahel and northern savannas, from Mauritania to Sudan, were the primary habitat since at least the end of the Pleistocene for a host of native African summer rainfall wild cereals including sorghum and a variety of millet species ( Pennisetum , Digitaria , Panicum , Brachiaria , etc.)…”

Fit for the Job: Proportion and the Portrayal of Cattle in Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdom Elite Tomb Imagery

“…A re-examination of the ecological and morphological foundations of the premise in conjunction with increased research on taurine genetics has pointed scholars in an opposing direction. In place of a separate domestication process, it has been suggested that two waves of ovicaprid and cattle domesticates arrived in northern and north-eastern Africa starting from the late 7th or early 6th millennium BC from the Levant (Brass 2013(Brass , 2018Smith 1986Smith , 1992Linseele et al 2014, p. 17). These domesticates are said to be descended from Near Eastern stock, and were introduced to Africa via trade routes and/or with human migrations (Bonfiglio et al 2012, pp.…”

Pastoralism in the Maghreb: A Review on Environmental, Socio-Cultural, Economic and Political Aspects

“…Pastoralism is an integral part of the traditions in the Maghreb. In fact, many authors analyse the history of this practice in the region (Aouadi et al, 2014;Brass, 2018;Broodbank & Lucarini, 2020;Duffy, 2020;Dunne et al, 2018;Dunne et al, 2012;Guerin, 2019;Leder, 2015;McGregor et al, 2009;Merrills, 2018;Muigai & Hanotte, 2013;Pereira et al, 2009;Roubet, 2003Roubet, , 2006Roubet & Amara, 2016;Smith, 2006;Vidal-Gonzalez & Mahdi, 2019;Zerboni & Nicoll, 2019) starting with livestock domestication (Brass, 2018;Broodbank & Lucarini, 2020;Zerboni & Nicoll, 2019). Archaeological records show different features associated with pastoralism, transhumance and herding (e.g.…”