ULVS XIII: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Ancient Farming in the Wadi Mansur, Tripolitania

Hunt, Chris; Mattingly, David; Gilbertson, D. D.; Dore, J. N.; Barker, Graeme; Burns, J. R.; Fleming, Andrew; Veen, Marijke van der

doi:10.1017/s0263718900007032

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…If this is the case, this information suggests that in fairly recent times, the rate of soil erosion in the area has accelerated to expose the previously buried underside of the cobble, before it could be colonised by lichen. At Wadi Mansur, further north in the ULVS study, similar observa- tions of lichen distribution of limestone cobbles and pinnacles of the limestone plateaux were made by Hunt et al (1986).…”

Section: Lichen Micro-distribution and Soil Erosionsupporting

confidence: 63%

ULVS XXII: Crustose Lichen Affecting the Geological Interpretation of Digital Landsat Imagery of the Tripolitanian Pre-desert

1990

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

White surface encrustations developing on basalt which had the same ‘reflectance signature’ on digital Landsat imagery as that from the limestone terrain in the Tripolitanian pre-desert are shown at the Wadi Gobbeen to be the thalli of the crustose lichen of the genus Aspicilia. The reproductive structures and ascospores of the lichen are described. The lichen is seen to be aiding the weathering and disintegration of the basalt cobbles. The absence of the thalli on the sides and underneath of cobbles currently resting upon the present land surface may suggest that soil erosion has been rapid in the recent past.

show abstract

Section: Lichen Micro-distribution and Soil Erosionsupporting

confidence: 63%

ULVS XXII: Crustose Lichen Affecting the Geological Interpretation of Digital Landsat Imagery of the Tripolitanian Pre-desert

1990

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…All these graphs emphasise the different character of the three small clusters with notably larger inter-wall distances -focussed on spacings of 150 metres, 200 metres and 315 metres. Similar data to these have been collected for the wall-systems in the Wadi Mansur, where measurement was by pacing, rather than tape (Hunt et al 1986). These spacing data from the Wadis Kharab and Mansur both emphasise the importance of inter-wall distances of less than 100 metres.…”

Section: 'Apart' -Inter-wall Distancesmentioning

confidence: 66%

ULVS XXVIII: Manipulating the Desert Environment: ancient walls, floodwater farming and territoriality in the Tripolitanian pre-desert of Libya

Gilbertson¹,

Chisholm²

1996

Libyan stud.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper examines the intentions, successes and failures of remarkable Romano-Libyan floodwater farmers who settled the arid Libyan pre-desert and used complexes of walls to manage the occasional floodwater as well as the desert's soils, sediments and biota. The paper presents and analyses a near 'total' data-set on the determinable locational properties of these ancient walls within one wadi -the 10 km long Wadi Umm el-Kharab. The organisation of these wall systems is shown to alter along the wadi according to changes in topographic, geomorphic and hydrological factors, as well as in relation to what are regarded in this paper as design and settlement factors. The organisation of the walls changes at confluences and distinctive topographic features. An analysis of the shape of enclosed areas indicates that the wadi can be divided into three broad sectors, each of which can be identified by differences in the shapes of the areas enclosed by walls. The enclosed shapes, as well as the general properties of the walls themselves do not vary in any simple linear manner along the wadi. Precise field mapping, as well as statistical displays of wall-related data, indicate the presence of similar 'gaps' in both the frequencies of settlement and of walls along the wadi. These gaps are, in part, explicable as the secondary consequences of hypothesised past flood-management problems associated with the confluences within the wadi system. They are also interpreted in this paper as some type of land use or other territorial 'break' created between the ancient community groups who occupied the wadi. This study has demonstrated the existence of distinct 'preferences' in the distances between walls, the areas enclosed between walls, and the thicknesses of walls. Overall, the types of organisation, and presumed functions of walls in this wadi are similar to those established from elsewhere in the Libyan pre-desert, but the balance is different in the Wadi Umm el-Kharab. The emphasis of wall-design in the Wadi Umm elKharab appeared to be upon the containment and management of floodwater, rather than the maximisation of the input of waters to the wadi floor, as deduced elsewhere. The long-term robustness and the environmental sophistication of these wall-systems are evident.

show abstract

“…These are summarised in Table 1. Inspection of the sedimentary features beneath the barrage/sluices indicated that the ends of the structure were build on the pediment-like surface of the 'Cobbly Fill' (for descriptions of the Quaternary Geology see Gilbertson et al [1984], Hunt et al [1986], and Gilbertson and Hunt [1988]). The remaining central parts of the structure are build upon a mix of flood and aeolian deposits which appeared similar to those of the present wadi floor.…”

Section: The Topographic Context Of the Lm4 'Sluices'mentioning

confidence: 99%

The UNESCO Libyan Valleys Survey XXI: Geomorphological Studies of the Romano-Libyan Farm, its Floodwater Control Structures and Weathered Building Stone at Site Lm4, at the Confluence of Wadi el Amud and Wadi Umm el Bagul in the Libyan Pre-desert

Gilbertson

Hunt

1990

Libyan stud.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Romano-Libyan farm Lm4 includes a ‘barrage’, water control walls and farm buildings. These were built as part of an agro-hydrological farm system at the confluence of the Wadi el Amud and the Wadi Umm el Bagul in the Libyan pre-desert. The farm appears to have functioned in a geomorphological environment not dissimilar to that which prevails today — with occasional rain storms producing overland flow and floods interrupting a dominance of aeolian processes. Field mapping revealed that substantial scatters of midden made up of abraded pottery, bone, and animal dung occur around the buildings. Animals appear to have been kept near to these buildings, which lead to coprolites becoming a very important component of these anthropogenic sediments. Such activity gave rise to significant bioturbation of the sediments, and a notable former vegetation cover. The petrology of the building stones used in the farm buildings is described using petrographic thin section studies. Cavernous weathering and case-hardening are shown to have developed after the stone was incorporated within the building. The size and distribution of these features are shown to relate to the nature of the bedrock used — especially the form and distribution of joints and sedimentary parting planes — as well as the distribution and thickness of the surficial soils and sediments, and the shape and form of the building.

show abstract

ULVS XIII: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Ancient Farming in the Wadi Mansur, Tripolitania

Cited by 19 publications

References 18 publications

ULVS XXII: Crustose Lichen Affecting the Geological Interpretation of Digital Landsat Imagery of the Tripolitanian Pre-desert

ULVS XXII: Crustose Lichen Affecting the Geological Interpretation of Digital Landsat Imagery of the Tripolitanian Pre-desert

ULVS XXVIII: Manipulating the Desert Environment: ancient walls, floodwater farming and territoriality in the Tripolitanian pre-desert of Libya

The UNESCO Libyan Valleys Survey XXI: Geomorphological Studies of the Romano-Libyan Farm, its Floodwater Control Structures and Weathered Building Stone at Site Lm4, at the Confluence of Wadi el Amud and Wadi Umm el Bagul in the Libyan Pre-desert

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About