After two years of intense and exciting work carried out between Cambridge and a number of breathtaking archaeological sites in North Africa, one of the two major outcomes of our MedAfrica project is finally out. The article entitled “The Dynamics of Mediterranean Africa, ca. 9600-1000 bc: An Interpretative Synthesis of Knowns and Unknowns”, has just been published in the Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology.
Mediterranean Africa forms a crucial junction between the wider Saharan zone and the rest of the Mediterranean. In contrast to its well-investigated history from the first millennium BC onward, its antecedent dynamics are very poorly understood, and deeper archaeological histories of the Mediterranean, therefore, remain unbalanced and incomplete. This paper draws on a new surge in data to present the first up-to-date interpretative synthesis of this region’s archaeology from the start of the Holocene until the threshold of the Iron Age (9600–1000 bc). It presents the evidence for climatic, environmental and sea-level change, followed by analysis of the chronological and spatial patterning of all radiocarbon dates from Mediterranean Africa, brought together for the first time.
Our gratitude goes to the JMA Editors Bernard Knapp, John Cherry, and Peter van Dommelen for accepting this “oversized” piece of work. Special thanks also go to Richard Bartholomew for his very long and painstaking copyediting work.
We are happy to dedicate our article to the people of Mediterranean Africa, past and present, and whether resident, in transit or abroad.
Cyprian and Giulio
