The geoarchaeology of the Western Sahara. Preliminary results of the first Anglo-Italian expedition in the “Free Zone”

This paper details the results of the first Anglo-Italian geoarchaeological expedition in the "free zone" of Western Sahara. In cooperation with the SADR (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic), and with the support of the Frente Polisario, we surveyed the unoccupied zone of Western Sahara, which until late 1991 was inaccessible as a result of the conflict with Morocco. The survey, although brief, yielded importantr evidence concerning the cultural heritage of the region, indicative of continuous human occupation (from the late Pleistocene up to the middle and late Holocene), particularly in terms of funerary monuments and rock art. Palaeoenvironmental evidence is indicative of significan variations in climate, which require further research. The survey suggested important cultural links with other Saharan regions and, as well as highlighting the problems of an area affected by conflict, has gone some way to filling the gaps in our knowledge of the human past in northern Africa.