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The Intangible Elements of Culture in Ethnoarchaeological Research pp 141–150Cite as

Made in the Desert: Evaluating the Role of Traditional Knowledge for Adaptation to the Arid Environment in Central Sahara

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Abstract

The indigenous knowledge of desert dwellers is a largely neglected intangible heritage that includes a wide array of techniques, methods, and practices for coping in arid environments. Such an intangible body of knowledge is often the source of the successful adaptation to arid and semi-arid regions in the world. The case study of the Kel Tadrart Tuareg from southwest Libya is herein used to show how an ethnoarchaeological approach may shed light on adaptation to an arid climate of past and current societies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CaSEs – Complexity and Socio-Ecological Dynamics Group, Departament d’Humanitats, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27, Barcelona, 08005, Spain

    Stefano Biagetti

  2. School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2001, South Africa

    Stefano Biagetti

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  1. Stefano Biagetti
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Correspondence to Stefano Biagetti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Barcelona, Spain

    Stefano Biagetti

  2. Rome, Italy

    Francesca Lugli

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Biagetti, S. (2016). Made in the Desert: Evaluating the Role of Traditional Knowledge for Adaptation to the Arid Environment in Central Sahara. In: Biagetti, S., Lugli, F. (eds) The Intangible Elements of Culture in Ethnoarchaeological Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23153-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23153-2_9

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