Moussa et al. (2025) Climate Changes in Algerian Sahara from Ancient Times - an Approach to Human Interactions with Their Environment

Identification

• Journal: Metafizika Journal
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-11-15
• Authors: Djouad Moussa, Ali Hedidi
• DOI: 10.33864/2617-751x.2025.v8.i7.436-453

Research Groups

• University of Skikda, Algeria
• University of Adrar, Algeria

Short Summary

This study challenges colonial historiography by revealing significant paleoclimatic shifts and human-environment interactions in the Algerian Sahara from prehistory to the present, demonstrating a stark "adaptation asymmetry" between resilient prehistoric communities and modern vulnerabilities to drought.

Objective

• To investigate the dynamic interplay between climate change and human-environment interactions in the Algerian Sahara from prehistory to the present, challenging the narrative of static aridity.
• To hypothesize that prehistoric Saharans developed sophisticated water management strategies during humid Holocene phases, contrasting sharply with modern vulnerabilities to drought, and that climate-driven shifts are primary catalysts for sociocultural transitions.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Algerian Sahara, including Hoggar and Tassili mountains, extending to the broader North Africa and Maghreb region.
• Temporal Scale: From the Pleistocene era (2.59 million years ago) through the Holocene (e.g., 8500 BCE, 4000 BCE, 7th millennium BCE) to the present day.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Hydrological modeling.
• Data sources:
  • Paleoclimatic reconstruction through sediment cores.
  • Rock art analysis.
  • Satellite imagery and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
  • Historical archaeology.
  • Policy analysis (comparing modern adaptation measures with prehistoric resilience models).
  • Indigenous knowledge and material culture.
  • Fossilized remains of plants, animals, and fish.
  • River terraces and lake terraces (e.g., Nile Valley, Saoura valley, Lake Chad).

Main Results

• The Algerian Sahara has experienced significant and dynamic climatic fluctuations, including periods of high humidity (e.g., 8500 BCE with 350 mm to 1000 mm precipitation) interspersed with severe droughts (e.g., below 100 mm by 4000 BCE).
• Prehistoric Saharan communities developed sophisticated water management strategies and thrived during humid Holocene phases, evidenced by extensive rock art, river networks, and reliance on lakes and valleys.
• A notable "adaptation asymmetry" exists between the resilience of prehistoric communities and modern Algeria's struggles with intensified droughts, despite advanced infrastructure.
• Climate-driven shifts are identified as primary catalysts for sociocultural transitions, influencing human settlement patterns and survival strategies.
• Evidence from river terraces, limestone rocks, gravel layers, and fossilized tropical animals and fish confirms past humid conditions and extensive water resources in the Sahara.
• Water held profound cultural and religious significance across ancient North African societies, reflected in veneration practices and rainmaking rituals that persist in adapted forms.

Contributions

• Challenges colonial historiography by providing evidence of dynamic paleoclimatic shifts in North Africa, countering the narrative of static aridity.
• Addresses key research gaps concerning hydrological ambiguity in prehistoric river networks and groundwater systems of the Sahara.
• Highlights an "adaptation asymmetry" between the sophisticated water management and resilience of prehistoric Saharan communities and the vulnerabilities of modern Algeria to drought.
• Contributes to the decolonization of historical narratives by utilizing Saharan rock art and indigenous knowledge to refute Eurocentric claims of civilizational stagnation.
• Proposes climate-driven shifts as fundamental catalysts for sociocultural transitions, offering a nuanced, multi-dimensional understanding of environmental history.

Funding

No specific funding projects, programs, or reference codes were mentioned in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Moussa2025Climate,
  author = {Moussa, Djouad and Hedidi, Ali},
  title = {Climate Changes in Algerian Sahara from Ancient Times - an Approach to Human Interactions with Their Environment},
  journal = {Metafizika Journal},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.33864/2617-751x.2025.v8.i7.436-453},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.33864/2617-751x.2025.v8.i7.436-453}
}