Archaeobotanical research and related ethnobotanical observations in the central and southern Sahara

This paper presents two case studies demonstrating links between archaeobotany and ethnobotany, completed in the south-western and central Sahara desert from 2004 to 2008. The focus is on evidence of plant use from archaeobo- tanical records, mainly pollen. Ethnobotanical data are reported from the literature, interviews, and observations of the local cultural knowledge of Tuareg people. The archaeological sites represent a range of contexts, including the open air necropolis of Gobero in Niger and rock shelters and cave sites of the Tadrart Acacus mountains in Libya. Samples taken from burials at Gobero had very low pollen concentrations. However, four Pastoral burials preserved high percentages of pollen grains of caper and myrtle and a signifi ant presence of grasses. Particular funerary behaviours are suggested. In the Tadrart Acacus, the actions of hunter-gatherers and pastoralists are visible in the archaeobotanical record. Remains of food and medicinal plants, such as fruits of Balanites and pollen of Artemisia, were typically observed in layers corres- pondingtotheearlyandmid-Holocene.HugenumbersofPoaceaefl retsandcaryopsesanddiversefruits,seeds,leaves, and other plant parts accumulated in shelters. Altogether, at least 38 pollen types pertain to plants that were probably used for food and fodder.