ral nomads, who may
have set up seasonal camps, moving on
again when the water
dried up.
People of
this time herded cattle
and made ceramic vessels. Although very few
ceramics have been
found from this time
period, those that have
are considered to be
among the oldest identified in Africa.
Around 9,000 years
ago, the settlements
became
larger and
more
sophisticated
and the people built
huts with fire hearths,
arranged in straight
rows, and started to
dig deep walk-in wells,
enabling them to have a
year-round water supply, thus providing the
conditions necessary
for permanent settlement. During this time,
the area was grassland
and supported gazelle
and hare and the peo-
ple were able to survive
by hunting and eating
wild plants. By around
8,100 years ago, there
is evidence of domestication of animals,
including goats and
sheep, and the establishment of an organized labor force.
Between 8,000 and
7,000 years ago, the
region suffered two
major droughts which
caused the water level
to
be
significantly
lowered. Nabta Playa
became hyper-arid and
virtually lifeless and
6
the settlements were
abandoned. However,
the droughts eventually subsided and,
after a 1,000-year hiatus, groups of people
began returning to the
Playa. It was from this
time onwards, that the
region saw the arrival
of a substantially more
complex and advanced
society and it was during this period that most
of the major megalithic
structures were constructed. It is considered to be the height
of human occupation
at Nabta Playa.