Pastoral Nomads of the Past

3 units

The archaeology of nomadic herders or pastoralists of Africa, Asia, and South America is the focus of this seminar. Cattle herders of Africa, horse and camel-based nomads of Asia, and llama herders of the Andes, are famous for their mobility, effective use of arid and mountainous lands, and distinctive and varied social organization and material culture. Nomads are known in many regions for long distance trade, warfare, and as agents of widespread political and religious change. We will examine issues such as the ecological background to mobility, nomads as early food producers, the environmental impact of nomadic societies, nomads and resilience, factors that pattern settlement structure and material culture of nomads, rock art, archaeological recovery, ancient nomadic states, and gender issues in recent pastoral societies.