Nationalism and Archaeology: Overview
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Nabta Playa: Agriculture and Domestication Kathleen Nicoll University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Introduction Nabta Playa is an ancient ephemeral lake and prehistoric archaeological site located in southern Egypt (Wendorf et al. 2001; Fig. 1). Although the modern Nabta region is barren and lacks surface water due to its extremely arid climate, there was enough rainfall during antiquity to support a shallow 1,500 km2 lake and to sustain a savannah grassland and various human activities. Extensive excavations in the region of Nabta have yielded valuable insights regarding the local Late Stone Age – Neolithic culture – and the climate change that caused desertification in this part of Saharan North Africa during the Late Holocene (e.g., Wendorf & Schild 1980; Wendorf et al. 2001 and references therein).
Key Issues/Current Debates/Future Directions/Examples The archaeological, paleobotanical, and paleontological records near Nabta enable reconstructions of the critical adaptations and transitions from foraging to food production, domestication,
and the practice of animal husbandry (Close 1987). Sites in the area preserve prehistoric dwelling structures, storage pits, wells, and various artifacts preserved in stratified contexts, including characteristic tool assemblages and microliths, decorated pottery and plainware, grinding tablets, and ostrich eggshell beads. More than 100 published radiocarbon dates constrain the occupation during wet phases and the timing of intervening droughts when arid, harsh conditions caused abandonment (Nicoll 2001, 2004; Fig. 2). Interpretation of the material culture suggests that the Neolithic people at Nabta developed more elaborate traditions and practices with increasing social complexity over time (Close 1987; Wendorf & Schild 1998, 2001). Activities at Nabta commenced around 11,000–9,300 cal BP. The people appear to have herded cattle, but there is intense debate about whether the Bos varieties discovered in the excavations were domesticated (Wendorf & Schild 2001). It has been proposed that Nabtans might have regarded their cattle as economic units of social status and prestige, like some modern pastoralists in Africa that herd animals for a regular supply of milk and blood (Close 1987). However, these assertions are speculative, and such ethnographic analogues may not be relevant for reconstructing the Neolithic. A drought caused the desiccation of Nabta Playa after 9,300 cal BP and forced people to migrate to areas with more water, causing
C. Smith (ed.), Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2, # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
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