Adrar Bous: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 20°22′15″N 9°01′30″E / 20.370833°N 9.025°E / 20.370833; 9.025
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== Geology ==
== Geology ==
Adrar Bous originated as a [[Ring dike|ring-dike]] during the [[Silurian]] period, and is host to a number of workable rocks: [[jasper]], [[granite]], [[quartzite]], [[chalcedony]], and others.<ref name="Clark & DGG" />
While the oldest formations in Adrar Bous date to the [[Precambrian]] period, much of the [[Ring dike|ring-dike]] formation originated during the early [[Silurian]] period, likely due to the melting of the melting of Saharan ice caps at that time. The massif is primarily comprised of [[granite]], and is host to a number of workable rocks: [[jasper]], [[quartzite]], [[chalcedony]], and others.<ref name="Clark & DGG" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Williams|first=M. a. J.|last2=Abell|first2=P. I.|last3=Sparks|first3=B. W.|date=1987-01-01|title=Quaternary landforms, sediments, depositional environments and gastropod isotope ratios at Adrar Bous, Tenere Desert of Niger, south-central Sahara|url=https://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/35/1/105|journal=Geological Society, London, Special Publications|language=en|volume=35|issue=1|pages=105–125|doi=10.1144/GSL.SP.1987.035.01.08|issn=0305-8719}}</ref>


== Artifact Assemblages ==
== Artifact Assemblages ==
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A site lying to the southeast of the main massif yielding a larger amount of truncated blades and crescent-shaped microlithic tools than other nearby sites. Whether or not it was inhabited at the same time as the other Tenerian formations is under debate, as its tools appear to be slightly older than those found at other sites nearby.<ref name="Clark & DGG" />
A site lying to the southeast of the main massif yielding a larger amount of truncated blades and crescent-shaped microlithic tools than other nearby sites. Whether or not it was inhabited at the same time as the other Tenerian formations is under debate, as its tools appear to be slightly older than those found at other sites nearby.<ref name="Clark & DGG" />


==== Adrar n'Kiffi (The Mountain of Fish)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/849683991|title=Gobero : the no-return frontier : archaeology and landscape at the Saharo-Sahelian borderland|date=2013|others=Elena A. A. Garcea|isbn=978-3-937248-34-9|location=Frankfurt am Main, Germany|oclc=849683991}}</ref> ====
⚫
==== Adrar n'Kiffi ====
A site lying south of the main massif, Adrar n'Kiffi shows the remnants of a lake, with a number of tools made of bone and stone including a stone harpoon and some [[Dotted wavy line and wavy line pottery|dotted wavy-line pottery]], as well as amphibious and [[ichthyoid]] remains. It is the namesake of the Kiffian [[technocomplex]]. <ref name="Clark & DGG" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sereno|first=Paul C.|last2=Garcea|first2=Elena A. A.|last3=Jousse|first3=Hélène|last4=Stojanowski|first4=Christopher M.|last5=Saliège|first5=Jean-François|last6=Maga|first6=Abdoulaye|last7=Ide|first7=Oumarou A.|last8=Knudson|first8=Kelly J.|last9=Mercuri|first9=Anna Maria|last10=Jr|first10=Thomas W. Stafford|last11=Kaye|first11=Thomas G.|date=2008-08-14|title=Lakeside Cemeteries in the Sahara: 5000 Years of Holocene Population and Environmental Change|url=https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0002995|journal=PLOS ONE|language=en|volume=3|issue=8|pages=e2995|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0002995|issn=1932-6203|pmc=PMC2515196|pmid=18701936}}</ref>
A site lying south of the main massif, Adrar n'Kiffi shows the remnants of a lake, with a number of tools made of bone and stone including a stone harpoon, as well as amphibious and [[ichthyoid]] remains.


==== Agorass n'Tast (Valley of the Cow) ====
==== Agorass n'Tast (Valley of the Cow) ====
A site lying to the west of the main massif, Agorass n'Tast did not contain as many Kiffian remains as the other sites, but boasts a spate of Tenerian artifacts, including many pieces of pottery, and the later noted Adrar Bous Cow. There is a measurable point in this area where the frequency of artifacts lessens significantly, possibly delineating the outskirts of a settlement. There are also stone circles within this settlement, thought to be used for wind shelter.<ref name="Clark & DGG" />
A site lying to the west of the main massif, Agorass n'Tast did not contain as many Kiffian remains as the other sites, but boasts a spate of Tenerian artifacts and fauna, including many pieces of pottery, and the later noted Adrar Bous Cow. There is a measurable point in this area where the frequency of artifacts lessens significantly, possibly delineating the outskirts of a settlement. There are also stone circles within this settlement, thought to be used for wind shelter.<ref name="Clark & DGG" />


== The Adrar Bous Cow ==
==== Diatomite 1/Gisement 10 ====
A small site southeast of the main massif, dated to about 9130-9030 B.P.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Gallin|first=Annabelle|date=2009-04-01|title=CLARK, Desmond J. et GIFFORD-GONZALEZ, Diane (eds), 2008, Adrar Bous : Archaeology of a Central Saharan Granitic Ring Complex in Niger|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4000/africanistes.3122|journal=Journal des Africanistes|issue=79-2|pages=408–410|doi=10.4000/africanistes.3122|issn=0399-0346}}</ref>. This site contained several terrestrial Kiffian fauna, as well as some aquatic specimens from the same time period.

==== Well Area ====
Lying to the north of the main massif, the Well Area site yielded similar tools to Diatomite 1/Gisement 10, without indication of a lake. It contains many similar artifacts to Diatomite 1 and Adrar n'Kiffi.

== Pastoral Neolithic Herders at Adrar Bous ==
Much fossil evidence remains at Adrar Bous to demonstrate the presence of cattle pastoralists there, from about 6,000 to 4,000 [[Before Present|BP]]. <ref name=":1" />

⚫
=== The Adrar Bous Cow ===
A notable find in Adrar Bous is that of a young, fully articulated cow skeleton, discovered in 1976 on an exploration by Carter and Clark. The cow has been dated to 4145±45 BP, a time when there was a concentrated focus on pastoralism.<ref name="Clark & DGG" />
A notable find in Adrar Bous is that of a young, fully articulated cow skeleton, discovered in 1976 on an exploration by Carter and Clark. The cow has been dated to 4145±45 BP, a time when there was a concentrated focus on pastoralism.<ref name="Clark & DGG" />


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==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}{{Reflist}}{{Authority control}}

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Archaeological sites in Niger]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Niger]]

Revision as of 23:24, 9 April 2021

Adrar Bous
Adrar Bous is located in Niger
Adrar Bous
Adrar Bous
LocationNiger
Coordinates20°22′15″N 9°01′30″E / 20.370833°N 9.025°E / 20.370833; 9.025

Adrar Bous is a massif in the Aïr Mountains on the western edge of the Ténéré Desert, Niger. Archaeological research at Adrar Bous, conducted by J. Desmond Clark, has produced finds spanning the Late Acheulean through to the Neolithic. Most notable are extensive remains of ritualized feasting by specialized Tenerian cattle pastoralists.[1] The massif itself has been dated to be about 487 million years old.[2]

Geology

While the oldest formations in Adrar Bous date to the Precambrian period, much of the ring-dike formation originated during the early Silurian period, likely due to the melting of the melting of Saharan ice caps at that time. The massif is primarily comprised of granite, and is host to a number of workable rocks: jasper, quartzite, chalcedony, and others.[1][3]

Artifact Assemblages

A number of Late Acheulean, Tenerian, and Kiffian artifacts were lifted from Adrar Bous. Handaxes, found in highest number, were found among cleavers, adzes, and other objects.[1]

Microlithic Sites

Surrounding the Adrar Bous Massif, several occurrences of diatomites yielded small stone tools, as well as the remains of aquatic and amphibious animals. Among the stone tools, scraper-type utensils were the most frequently found.[1]

Adrar Bous III (Missions Berilet)

A site lying to the southeast of the main massif yielding a larger amount of truncated blades and crescent-shaped microlithic tools than other nearby sites. Whether or not it was inhabited at the same time as the other Tenerian formations is under debate, as its tools appear to be slightly older than those found at other sites nearby.[1]

Adrar n'Kiffi (The Mountain of Fish)[4]

A site lying south of the main massif, Adrar n'Kiffi shows the remnants of a lake, with a number of tools made of bone and stone including a stone harpoon and some dotted wavy-line pottery, as well as amphibious and ichthyoid remains. It is the namesake of the Kiffian technocomplex. [1][5]

Agorass n'Tast (Valley of the Cow)

A site lying to the west of the main massif, Agorass n'Tast did not contain as many Kiffian remains as the other sites, but boasts a spate of Tenerian artifacts and fauna, including many pieces of pottery, and the later noted Adrar Bous Cow. There is a measurable point in this area where the frequency of artifacts lessens significantly, possibly delineating the outskirts of a settlement. There are also stone circles within this settlement, thought to be used for wind shelter.[1]

Diatomite 1/Gisement 10

A small site southeast of the main massif, dated to about 9130-9030 B.P.[6]. This site contained several terrestrial Kiffian fauna, as well as some aquatic specimens from the same time period.

Well Area

Lying to the north of the main massif, the Well Area site yielded similar tools to Diatomite 1/Gisement 10, without indication of a lake. It contains many similar artifacts to Diatomite 1 and Adrar n'Kiffi.

Pastoral Neolithic Herders at Adrar Bous

Much fossil evidence remains at Adrar Bous to demonstrate the presence of cattle pastoralists there, from about 6,000 to 4,000 BP. [3]

The Adrar Bous Cow

A notable find in Adrar Bous is that of a young, fully articulated cow skeleton, discovered in 1976 on an exploration by Carter and Clark. The cow has been dated to 4145±45 BP, a time when there was a concentrated focus on pastoralism.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Clark, J. Desmond; Gifford-Gonzalez, Diane (2008). Adrar Bous: archaeology of a central Saharan granitic ring complex in Niger. Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren.
  2. ^ Husch, Jonathan M.; Moreau, Christian (1982-10-01). "Geology and major element geochemistry of anorthositic rocks associated with paleozoic hypabyssal ring complexes, air massif, Niger, West Africa". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 14 (1): 47–66. doi:10.1016/0377-0273(82)90042-7. ISSN 0377-0273.
  3. ^ a b Williams, M. a. J.; Abell, P. I.; Sparks, B. W. (1987-01-01). "Quaternary landforms, sediments, depositional environments and gastropod isotope ratios at Adrar Bous, Tenere Desert of Niger, south-central Sahara". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 35 (1): 105–125. doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1987.035.01.08. ISSN 0305-8719.
  4. ^ Gobero : the no-return frontier : archaeology and landscape at the Saharo-Sahelian borderland. Elena A. A. Garcea. Frankfurt am Main, Germany. 2013. ISBN 978-3-937248-34-9. OCLC 849683991.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ^ Sereno, Paul C.; Garcea, Elena A. A.; Jousse, Hélène; Stojanowski, Christopher M.; Saliège, Jean-François; Maga, Abdoulaye; Ide, Oumarou A.; Knudson, Kelly J.; Mercuri, Anna Maria; Jr, Thomas W. Stafford; Kaye, Thomas G. (2008-08-14). "Lakeside Cemeteries in the Sahara: 5000 Years of Holocene Population and Environmental Change". PLOS ONE. 3 (8): e2995. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002995. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 2515196. PMID 18701936.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  6. ^ Gallin, Annabelle (2009-04-01). "CLARK, Desmond J. et GIFFORD-GONZALEZ, Diane (eds), 2008, Adrar Bous : Archaeology of a Central Saharan Granitic Ring Complex in Niger". Journal des Africanistes (79–2): 408–410. doi:10.4000/africanistes.3122. ISSN 0399-0346. {{cite journal}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 69 (help)


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