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The study of the Garamantian period on a regional level has led to the identification of at least three more settlements with topographical characteristics similar to Aghram Nadharif, and which can be attributed to the same historical period; these formed a series of crossroads and check-points belonging to the network controlling the caravan routes.
The first of these fortified settlements, circular in shape, was found during the 2000 campaign about 20 km south of Aghram Nadharif (Fig. 1). Since the border between Libya and Algeria is still fluctuating in this area, it was not possible to carry out archaeological surveys, concentrated instead on the area of the wadi Awiss to the north. Part of the archaeological campaign of 2003 was devoted to an investigation of the Garamantian occupation of the eastern flanks of the Acacus mountain, where this historical period was still little understood.
Fig. 1 - The Garamantian settlement south |
Fig. 2- 3D reconstruction of the wadi |
During the archaeological campaign of 2002 a Garamantian castle, clearly linked in terms of structure and material culture to Aghram Nadharif was found and mapped (Fig. 2) at the centre of the wide corridor between the wadi Awiss and the erg Uan Kasa. In 2003 a series of archaeological surveys aimed to determine a more precise chronology for the site, and verify the connections between the fortified settlement, the remains of a village surrounding it, and a necropolis about 1 km to the south of the site.
A small wadi, the wadi Imassaragian, runs along the northern part of the site, whose main building is a rectangular fortress with dimensions of around 50 x 30 m; the building is relatively well-preserved, with uprights emerging from the aeolian sand dunes to a height of about 1.7 m (Fig. 3). A sounding inside the building has led to the identification of a complex stratigraphy to a depth of more than 2 m, with upright walls in mud brick which preserve traces of coloured plaster (yellow and red) (Fig. 4). The discovery of Garamantian pottery and burnt organic matter in the lower levels has allowed the site to be dated to ca. 1st century BC, with continuous later use for a significant period. This date is roughly contemporaneous with the final phase of the fortified village of Fehwet, with which it also shares the architectural feature of internal partition walls in mud brick rather than stone (as at Aghram Nadharif). |
Fig. 3- View of the wadi Imassaragian castle
Fig. 4- Detailed of the coloured plaster
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The village at the foot of the castle stretches for ca. 1.6 km, and consists of numerous stone buildings certainly used during the Garamantian period. These are functional structures, areas used for work or animal husbandry, and not domestic buildings (Fig. 5).
Fig. 5 - Buildings in the ‘village’ at the
foot
of the wadi Imassaragian castle
All the tombs in the necropolis have been mapped and classified according to typology; 326 tombs have been identified, 236 of which are of ‘drum’ type, the classic shape of Garamantian tombs
About 10 km northwest of the castle at Imassaragian a similar settlement has been found on the banks of the wadi Adad. The settlement type is identical: a fortified castle of more or less circular shape, with a diameter of 27 m N-S and 31 m E-W, a surrounding ‘village’ (or, rather, areas used for work), and a necropolis a short distance from the settlement. Again, most tombs are of the Garamantian type, but there are also some V-shaped structures characteristic of the pastoral period, evidence that this territory was in continuous use over a long period of time.
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Italian-Libyan Archaeological Mission in the Acacus and Messak - Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza"
Via Palestro 63, 00185 Rome - Italy | Tel/Fax: [+39] 06.4467661 E-mail: info@acacus.it
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Missione Italiana nell'Acacus e Messak Università di Roma La Sapienza
