The Fezzan Project 2000: Preliminary report on the fourth season of work

Abstract

The fourth season of the Fezzan Project continued the interdisciplinary approaches of previous seasons. Geographical and environmental work focused principally in sampling sediments for scientific dating and with integrating ground observation with remote sensing data. Excavations continued at Old Germa, where the site has now reached Garamantian levels. In a separate development, the tentative identification has been made of an early mosque at the site, in an area adjacent to the G1 excavation trench. Substantial results were gained from work aimed at enhancing the important data recorded by Charles Daniels in his earlier excavations and survey in the Wadi al-Hayat. The enhancement of the Daniels' survey archive was integrated with completion of the wider prospection being undertaken by the new project. This survey included fieldwalking, standing building survey, analysis of the foggara irrigation systems and recording of rock art scenes. Finds work comprised the finalisation of a pottery type series for the Germa area, the study of small finds from the recent survey work, botanical analysis and completion of lithics recording. A programme of radiocarbon dating is now being undertaken to improve the phasing of sites and monuments. The first two volumes of final reports are now in preparation.

Desert Migrations Project XVIII: The archaeology of the northern Fazzan. A preliminary report

“…The Wadi ash-Shati is located on one of the main routes connecting the north edge of the Sahara to the southern Mediterranean coast, as well as being on an important east-west axis of communication across the continent, and is also known to be one of the most fertile areas of the Fazzan. In spite of this, the Wadi ash-Shati has been underexplored in archaeological research, especially when compared with the intense survey and excavation work that focused on the Wadi al-Ajal since the late 1950s (Daniels 1968;1970a;1970b;Mattingly 1997;1999;2000;2003;Mattingly et al 2007a;Mattingly et al 2010), and the Acacus since the 1970s (Barich and Baistrocchi 1987;Cremaschi 1998;Cremaschi and Di Lernia 2001;Di Lemia et al 2001;Di Lernia and Manzi 2002;Liverani 2006).…”

Radiocarbon dates from Fazzan, southern Libya

“…This first batch of AMS dates from the recent excavations (samples FP26-49) relates to the upper levels of the site, down to the late Garamantian phases (Phases 1-5 and top of 6 in the stratigraphic sequence defined in the excavations, Mattingly et al 1997;1998;1999;2000;2001). Whilst a few dates fall outside of their expected range, presumably because they comprised residual organic remains, the dates broadly conform to the stratigraphic succession.…”

“…This paper concerns the oasis area of Fazzan, c. 400 km east and north-east of the Italians' study area, where two British-Libyan teams have worked in the 1960s-70s and the 1990s-2000s (Daniels 1989;Mattingly et al 1997Mattingly et al , 1998Mattingly et al , 1999Mattingly et al , 2000Mattingly et al , 2001. This work has focused to a much greater extent on the historical Garamantes and later agricultural occupants of the oases of the Wadi al-Ajal (see Mattingly et al Forthcoming a, for a first synthesis of results).…”

Phytoliths as indicators of grassland dynamics during the Holocene from lake sediments in the Ubari sand sea, Fazzan Basin, Libya

“…BP (Nicholson and Flohn 1980;Claussen et al 1999;Cremaschi and Di Lernia 1999) this trend was overlain by the gradual onset of the arid conditions that characterise the Sahara today. The Garamantian civilisation in the nearby Wadi al-Hayat appears to have developed soon after this time by exploiting groundwater (Mattingly et al 1998;2000;Drake et al 2004). The date of 3,200-3,400 cal.…”