The development of nomadism in ancient northeast Africa

Abstract

Nomadism was for millennia one of the most important human strategies for survival, and it is still the strategy of choice for many cultures in Africa and the Near East. Because of its importance, nomadism has been the focus of a considerable amount of attention from scholars in anthropology, archaeology, political science and economics. Ethnologists and other social scientists have sought to understand the nature and character of nomadism through detailed studies of modern nomads. However, archaeologists and some anthropologists believe that nomadism can best be understood through an examination of its origins, by asking why and how nomadism emerged as a way of life. In The Development of Nomadism in Ancient Northeast Africa, Karim Sadr contends that current theories which do not attempt to answer this question do not accommodate the archaeological evidence from ancient Egypt, the Sudan and Ethiopia. Viewing this evidence from a new perspective, Sadr constructs an original theory that not only illuminates the development of nomadism in northeast Africa but challenges scholars to examine their ideas about nomadism throughout the world.

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