The new find from archaeologists unravels the mystery of North African influence in the evolution of Mediterranean civilizations Published in the journal Antiquity, this research shows the moment when a completely new Neolithic farming culture started to expand from the Eastern European heartland of ancient innovation.
The Forgotten Civilization Unearthed
For years, the archaeology of the Maghreb (north Africa from Morocco to Tunisia) between 4000 and 1000 BC has remained a substantial blind spot in our knowledge of the prehistory of the Mediterranean. This era was a time of rapid transformation for many parts of the world, yet the contribution of societies in North Africa to these developments has been largely neglected.
A team of researchers from the National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage (INSAP) in Morocco, the University of Cambridge, and the Italian National Research Council (CNR-ISPC and ISMEO) teamed up to finally unlock some secrets about this overlooked period. By working together, across multiple disciplines in archaeology and the natural sciences at their field site of Oued Beht in Morocco, they have uncovered what is likely the earliest known farming society in that region of North Africa, adding a critical new piece to understanding how this dynamic Maghrebi land was involved in setting into motion those societies we recognize from classical antiquity.
Prosperous in Agriculture-Powerhouse
The excavations at Oued Beht have shown that this site is the largest agricultural complex of the Final Neolithic period in Africa, outside of the Nile Valley. The signs indicate that this was an Early Bronze Age farm, around the same size as the renowned city of Troy from in that time.
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Crucially, ivory and ostrich egg finds from these Iberian sites have previously implicated African connections — in addition to early evidence for herding, underlining the importance of the Maghreb on Mediterranean societies at their very inception.
Conclusion
The Moroccan data from Oued Beht now provides crucial insight into the later prehistory of both the Mediterranean and Africa. The authors suggest that this unanticipated Neolithic agropastoral group from North Africa was connected to and interacting with the broader Mediterranean world, playing significant roles in evolving human societies during the fourth and third millennia BC. Specifically, these findings challenge and highlight the importance of reconsidering current models regarding economic development that had Occurred in ancient Mediterranean lands while providing a fresh perspective to a key yet harely-studied aspect of the human story.
