Trade in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond

Saharan trade has been much debated in modern times, but the main focus of interest remains the medieval and early modern periods, for which more abundant written sources survive. The pre-Islamic origins of Trans-Saharan trade have been hotly contested over the years, mainly due to a lack of evidence. Many of the key commodities of trade are largely invisible archaeologically, being either of high value like gold and ivory, or organic like slaves and textiles or consumable commodities like salt. However, new research on the Libyan people known as the Garamantes and on their trading partners in the Sudan and Mediterranean Africa requires us to revise our views substantially. In this volume experts re-assess the evidence for a range of goods, including beads, textiles, metalwork and glass, and use it to paint a much more dynamic picture, demonstrating that the pre-Islamic Sahara was a more connected region than previously thought.

Author: D. J. Mattingly
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 11/30/2017
Pages: 466
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.44lbs
Size: 10.26h x 7.46w x 1.04d
ISBN: 9781107196995

About the Author
Mattingly, D. J.: - D. J. Mattingly is Professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Leicester. He has published widely on the archaeology of North Africa and the Sahara.Leitch, V.: - V. Leitch is Publications Manager at the Society for Libyan Studies and has worked on excavations in Italy, Sicily, Tunisia and Libya.Duckworth, C. N.: - C. N. Duckworth is a Lecturer in Archaeological Materials Science at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. She specialises in ancient pyrotechnology, particularly glass manufacture and recycling.
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