Objective Scholarly preoccupations and much of the available evidence have tended to emphasise the Islamic era as the historic time period when the Mediterranean seaboard was firmly and regularly connected with the Sub-Saharan zone across the Sahara. Recent research in southern Libya suggests that there was a significantly higher level of Trans-Saharan trade and contact in the pre-Islamic period than hitherto recognised. The existence of an early state, contemporary with the Roman Empire, in the Central Sahara can be demonstrated from the archaeological remains of the Garamantes of the Libyan region of Fazzan. Their technological sophistication in terms of irrigated agriculture, urban settlements, mastery of pyrotechnical processes and manufacturing achievements in textiles and beadmaking are all quite remarkable. It is already clear that their population comprised a mixture of Sub-Saharan and Mediterranean African types and there is indisputable evidence that they traded with both the Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan zones. This has profound implications for understanding the nature and effects of human contact in the Trans-Saharan zone. The grant is sought to allow the research programme in Fazzan to be taken to the next level of analysis, enabling explicit comparisons and contrasts to be drawn with contemporary societies to north and south of the Sahara. Key themes to be explored include trade, human migration, technological processes and transfers, urbanisation and state formation. Equally crucial, the chronological scope of the project will be extended into the Islamic period, in order to understand how things differed then from the earlier phases of Trans-Saharan contact. Fields of science engineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextilesagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturesocial sciencessociologydemographyhuman migrations Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-AG-SH6 - ERC Advanced Grant - The study of the human past Call for proposal ERC-2010-AdG_20100407 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant Host institution UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER EU contribution € 2 235 192,87 Address UNIVERSITY ROAD LE1 7RH Leicester United Kingdom See on map Region East Midlands (England) Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire Leicester Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Principal investigator David John Mattingly (Prof.) Administrative Contact Brian Berry (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER United Kingdom EU contribution € 2 235 192,87 Address UNIVERSITY ROAD LE1 7RH Leicester See on map Region East Midlands (England) Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire Leicester Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Principal investigator David John Mattingly (Prof.) Administrative Contact Brian Berry (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE United Kingdom EU contribution € 185 400,45 Address TRINITY LANE THE OLD SCHOOLS CB2 1TN Cambridge See on map Region East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Renata Schaeffer (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data
