SYDNEY, 21 July 2006 - The Eastern Sahara desert is largely unoccupied by humans, yet according to new evidence in today's issue of the U.S. journal Science, ancient humans once inhabited these lands by following rainfall patterns.
Evidence from early occupation sites and archaeological remains suggests that African people from the south followed the rains up north to the Egyptian Sahara. But when the Egyptian Sahara became a full desert, "most of the prehistoric populations which did not head for the Nile valley were forced to migrate south following the retreating rains," said Stefan Kröpelin, co-author and archaeologist from the University of Cologne, Germany.
Ancient human settlements in the world's most famous desert were portrayed in the award-winning novel and movie, The English Patient. Playing a starring role was the "Cave of Swimmers", a cavern in the middle of the desert that bears prehistoric paintings of people swimming. Although the real cave was not used in the film, it is located in southwest Egypt, at the border to Libya.
This might seem impossible that this dusty cave was once filled with water, but approximately 9,500 to 5,300 years ago, Kröpelin believes the hyper-arid environment of the Eastern Sahara had a much wetter and more habitable climate for human habitation.
Along with fellow archaeologist and co-author Rudolph Kuper, Kröpelin showed that prehistoric human settlements gradually shifted south with rainfall patterns over much of the past 10,000 years, combining almost 500 of their own radiocarbon dates from 150 archaeological sites with ones already published.
"This process of a roughly parallel southward shifting of human settlement is reflected by the distribution of prehistoric sites," said Kröpelin.
These findings not only have a significant meaning and value for science but also for African countries which have the opportunity to learn more about their desert heritage.
"Beyond our academic interests, our research helps our African host countries to know more about their rich cultural and natural heritage in the desert which is not much less significant for their national identity and pride than economic development aid," said Kröpelin.
For a story on the whales that once occupied the region, see Cosmos issue 10, due in Australian newsagents on 26 July 2006
