ARCH 1616 Between Sahara and Sea: North Africa from Human Origins to Islam Brett Kaufman [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesdays, 2:30-4:30 pm Rhode Island Hall 007 Berbers Who are the Berbers? Overview Language Berbers from travel accounts and ethnography Berbers and Egypt Berbers and Carthage, Rome Berbers and Arabs Overview Chronologies It must be kept in mind that overarching chronologies in the Maghreb can give a comfortable guise of uniformity, but in all periods regional differences abound. This is a broad attempt: Political timeline Phoenician and Punic: ~1000 BC – 146 BC Roman and Byzantine: 146 BC – 640s AD Arab and Berber Islamic Dynasties: 7th – 16th centuries AD Ottoman: 16th century AD – 18th century AD Colonial: 19th century AD – 20th century AD Independence: 20th century AD – present Language Language They designate their language as Tamazight and to those who speak it as Imazighen. The root of this may be “free” or “noble/not a vassal” The modern Tuareg alphabet is called Tifinagh, and is related to the Libyan alphabet from early Roman occupation. Tuareg language is called Tamachek. and is generally considered to have fewer loan words from other languages, being insulated by geography. Tin Hinan tomb, Abalessa in Hoggar Tin Hinan tomb, Abalessa in Hoggar ~1500 BP Berbers from travel accounts and ethnography Pre-WWII French school in Tunisian Berber town of Douiret (Tataouine), now a youth center, seen from old governor’s compound Douiret, Berber governor compound during Ottoman era Douiret – view from governor’s compound Douiret – what are those black dots on the hillside? Douiret Chenini – living tell, bidding currently for UNESCO Heritage Site status Chenini Chenini Chenini Chenini, historical olive press still used if there is an olive crop Berbers and Egypt Libyans in Egyptian Chronicles Seneferu, Old Kingdom Pharaoh claims to have captured 13,100 Libyan animals, and many other Pharaohs claim to have captured many more in all periods. In New Kingdom, the Meshwesh tribe’s major economic surplus is listed as bull fat. By the time of Merneptah (13th century BC), Libyans were trying to live in the Delta and the Egyptian accounts they did this because of famine in their own country. Libyans depicted on Egyptian tombs Garamantes were a major Berber group in the Fezzan of Libya that Herodotus claimed rode chariots. The Romans referred to their leader as a king. Berbers and Carthage, Rome Berbers during Punic era What was Berber society like before the Iron Age that was concomitant with Phoenician arrival? It is often supposed that rock cut tombs/dolmens/haouanet are introduced in the Bronze Age, but current evidence indicates perhaps early 1st millennium BC, but most dates show 5th-2nd centuries BC. Bilingual Punic-Numidian inscription – ironsmiths Judge and Papi הנסכם ש ברזל שפט ב]ן[ בלל ופפי בן ]ב[בי “The ironworkers: Judge, so]n[ of Balal, and Papi, son of [B]abi” Libyan alphabet corresponding to Latin characters Berber leaders under Punic and Roman times Masinissa Jugurtha Juba II Tacfarinas Bilingual Latin/Libyan inscription from Morocco Roman North Africa Berbers and Arabs Islamic Berber Dynasties Almoravid Almohads Marinids Hafsids Zayyanids Who are the Berbers? Subsistence: Pastoral nomadism with increasing sedentism and mixed economy, some groups fully settled Religion: Islam and various sects of Islam (Ibadite on Djerba), with sainthood as a central feature. In past, distinct Libyan gods with gradual syncretism and adoption of new deities such as Ba’al Hammon. Languages: Berber or Tamazight, Tamachek (Tuareg) Political: Egalitarian (for men) and the absence of overarching political structure on one hand, political stability through segmentary “tribe” sub-groups. Resistant to taxation and loss of autonomy. At times in full control of North African states (Masinissa, Juba II, Tacfarinas, Almoravids, Almohads, Marinids, Hafsids, Zayyanids), most other times underprivileged and disenfranchised. Berber Cultural Movement Idir (Kabyle, Algeria) Isefra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shsD7xtnK1U Tinariwen (Tuareg, Mali) Imidiwan win Sahara https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCdTen1lG-4 Bombino (Tuareg, Niger) Imuhar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69t_zjuD0bM Marguerite Taos Amrouche (Kabyle, Algeria) Chants Berbères De Kabylie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_fjMisIJn4 Nabil Othmany (Tuareg, Algeria) Imidiwan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a3Cy94ydOA .