Raccolta e macinazione di piante selvatiche nelle società nordafricane dell'Olocene: Evidenze archeologiche e sperimentazione

This article discusses the harvesting and plant grinding techniques employed by the Holocene communities located between the Eastern Sahara and the south-eastern Mediterranean coast. In particular, the work reports data from research carried out at the Hidden Valley site in the Egyptian Western Desert, and at Haua Fteah cave located along the Cyrenaican coast. The archaeological data presented here include the techno-typological and functional study of artefacts used for plant grinding activities, as well as an experimental study carried out on wild grass harvesting techniques. The results of these analyses reveal the absence of activities related to a full farming economy at both Hidden Valley and Haua Fteah. However, both the archaeological and the experimental research confirm the value of the exploitation of wild plant resources for North African Holocene communities.