̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Cyprian Broodbank

Previously unknown Neolithic society in Morocco discovered

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 08:34:03 +0000

Archaeological fieldwork in Morocco has discovered the earliest, previously unknown 3400–2900 BC farming society from a poorly understood period of north-west African prehistory. This is the earliest and largest agricultural complex yet found in Africa beyond the Nile.

This study, published in the journal Antiquity, reveals for the first time the importance of the Maghreb (north-west Africa) in the emergence of complex societies in the wider Mediterranean during the fourth and third millennia BC.

With a Mediterranean environment, a border with the Sahara desert and the shortest maritime crossing between Africa and Europe, the Maghreb is perfectly located as a hub for major cultural developments and intercontinental connections in the past.

Whilst the region’s importance during the Palaeolithic, Iron Age and Islamic periods is well known, there is a significant gap in knowledge of the archaeology of the Maghreb between c. 4000 and 1000 BC, a period of dynamic change across much of the Mediterranean.

To tackle this, a team of archaeologists led by Prof Cyprian Broodbank from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, Prof Youssef Bokbot from INSAP, and Prof Giulio Lucarini from CNR-ISPC and ISMEO, have carried out collaborative, multidisciplinary archaeological fieldwork at Oued Beht, Morocco.

"For over thirty years I have been convinced that Mediterranean archaeology has been missing something fundamental in later prehistoric north Africa," said Broodbank. "Now, at last, we know that was right, and we can begin to think in new ways that acknowledge the dynamic contribution of Africans to the emergence and interactions of early Mediterranean societies."

"For more than a century the last great unknown of later Mediterranean prehistory has been the role played by the societies of Mediterranean’s southern, Africa shores west of Egypt," say the authors of the new study. "Our discoveries prove that this gap has been due not to any lack of major prehistoric activity, but to the relative lack of investigation, and publishing. Oued Beht now affirms the central role of the Maghreb in the emergence of both Mediterranean and wider African societies."

These results reveal that the site was the largest agricultural complex from this period in Africa outside of the Nile region. All of the evidence points to the presence of a large-scale farming settlement—similar in size to Early Bronze Age Troy.

̽��ֱ��team recovered unprecedented domesticated plant and animal remains, pottery and lithics, all dating to the Final Neolithic period. Excavation also revealed extensive evidence for deep storage pits.

Importantly, contemporaneous sites with similar pits have been found on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar in Iberia, where finds of ivory and ostrich egg have long pointed to African connections. This suggests that the Maghreb was instrumental in wider western Mediterranean developments during the fourth millennium BC.

Oued Beht and the north-west Maghreb were clearly integral parts of the wider Mediterranean region. As such, these discoveries significantly change our understanding of the later prehistory of the Mediterranean and Africa.

As the authors of the Antiquity article state: “It is crucial to consider Oued Beht within a wider co-evolving and connective framework embracing peoples both sides of the Mediterranean-Atlantic gateway during the later fourth and third millennia BC - and, for all the likelihood of movement in both directions, to recognise it as a distinctively African-based community that contributed substantially to the shaping of that social world.”

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Multi-disciplinary archaeological survey at the site of Oued Beht, Morocco, reveals a previously unknown 3400–2900 BC farming society, shedding new light on North Africa’s role in Mediterranean prehistory.

For over thirty years I have been convinced that Mediterranean archaeology has been missing something fundamental

Prof Cyprian Broodbank

Lorena Lombardi & Moad Radi

Stone tools from Oued Beht

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20 Years of Mandela Magdalene Scholarships

ta385 — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 12:04:19 +0000

Honoured by the presence of His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene of Ghana, the event celebrated the increasing strength of Cambridge’s relationships in Africa and the exciting prospect of establishing the ̽��ֱ��’s first Professorship in African Archaeology.

̽��ֱ��Mandela scholarship scheme supports South African graduates of outstanding academic ability and leadership potential to take up a place at Cambridge. Successful applicants are expected to return to South Africa to work or study after completing their course to ensure that their knowledge is shared at home.

In 1995, Nelson Mandela wrote to Magdalene to approve the use of his name for the scholarship: “Our country is in dire need of skilled men and women to service our new democracy. We are deeply grateful that Magdalene College took the initiative to assist."

Among those who have benefited from the scholarship scheme is Dr Jongi Joseph Klaas, a shepherd boy from South Africa’s Eastern Cape who went on to become an academic, government advisor and diplomat. Dr Klass received a PhD in Sociology from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge as a Mandela Magdalene Scholar and later returned to South Africa to teach at Rhodes ̽��ֱ��. He then joined his country’s government, serving as an expert to the United Nations Security Council in New York and as a diplomat in Ethiopia.

To mark the scheme’s twentieth anniversary, the Master of Magdalene College, Dr Rowan Williams, received the Asantehene and his entourage, together with leading scholars of the African continent. Together, they participated in a pivotal discussion about the achievements and future of African archaeology. In his keynote speech, the Asantehene expressed his support for further initiatives to bring African students to study in Cambridge, and the importance of developing a history of Africa by Africans.

Professor Cyprian Broodbank, Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge, then invited Dr Catherine Namono ( ̽��ֱ�� of the Witwatersrand), Professor Adebayo Folorunso ( ̽��ֱ�� of Ibadan) and Professor David Phillipson (Cambridge) to present their visions for African Archaeology. Dr Namono drew on her personal experience as Uganda’s first female archaeologist to discuss the transformation of African archaeology and the importance of reclaiming knowledge production for Africans, a message reiterated by her fellow speakers.

Nelson Mandela gave his blessing to the idea of establishing a Professorship in African Archaeology at Cambridge. Of all the world’s inhabited continents, Africa, the crucible of civilisation, is the least well understood in terms of its archaeology. Cambridge has a long tradition of working with African archaeologists but a lack of senior academic leadership in the field poses an obstacle to further advances.

̽��ֱ��Mandela scholarship anniversary therefore provided an auspicious occasion to launch an endowment campaign which, it is hoped, will make this Professorship a reality.

On 16-18 October, Cambridge launched its largest philanthropic campaign to date. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� and Colleges are seeking to raise £2 billion to support investment in research, education and resources to ensure that Cambridge continues to have a global impact for generations to come. For more information on the campaign and the initiatives it supports, see cam.ac.uk/YoursCambridge

Magdalene College recently celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the Mandela Magdalene scholarships which support graduates from South Africa in pursuing postgraduate study at Cambridge.

Our country is in dire need of skilled men and women to service our new democracy

Nelson Mandela (1995)

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Yes

̽��ֱ��British Academy welcomes new Fellows for 2015

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 14:38:53 +0000

They are among 42 highly distinguished UK academics from 18 universities welcomed as Fellows by the Academy, taking the total number of living Fellows to over one thousand for the first time.

̽��ֱ��Fellows elected from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge are:

Professor Cyprian Broodbank – John Disney Professor of Archaeology, Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and Fellow of Gonville & Caius College.

Professor Garth Fowden – Sultan Qaboos Professor of Abrahamic Faiths and Senior Research Associate at Peterhouse.

Professor Robert Gordon – Serena Professor of Italian and Fellow of Gonville & Caius College.

Professor Sanjeev Goyal – Professor of Economics and Fellow of Christ’s College.

Professor Peter Mandler – Professor of Modern Cultural History and Bailey Lecturer in History at Gonville & Caius College.

Professor Joachim Whaley – Professor of German History and Thought and Fellow of Gonville & Caius College.

Also receiving a fellowship is Professor Michael Mann, Honorary Professor at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the ̽��ֱ�� of California, Los Angeles.

Lord Stern, President of the British Academy, said: “This year we have the honour of once again welcoming the finest researchers and scholars into our Fellowship. Elected from across the UK and world for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences, they represent an unrivalled resource of expertise and knowledge.

“Our Fellows play a vital role in the work of the Academy; encouraging younger researchers, engaging in public discussion of the great issues and ideas of our time, and contributing to policy reports. Their collective work and expertise are testament to why research in the humanities and social sciences is vital for our understanding of the world and humanity.”

̽��ֱ��British Academy is the UK's expert body that supports and speaks for the humanities and social sciences. It funds research across the UK and in other parts of the world, in disciplines ranging from archaeology to economics, from psychology to history, and from literature to law.

View the full list of British Academy Fellows.

Seven Cambridge academics have been elected to the fellowship of the British Academy in recognition of their outstanding research.

Their collective work and expertise are testament to why research in the humanities and social sciences is vital for our understanding of the world and humanity

Lord Stern, President of the British Academy

̽��ֱ��British Academy

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Yes