RARE TENERIAN NEOLITHIC SMALL GRINDING MILL AND RUBBING STONE FROM THE PEOPLE OF THE "GREEN SAHARA" *CAP430

Product Description

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The Earth has been warming and cooling for millions of year, LONG BEFORE the first humans were on the planet.  One of the most dramatic examples of climatic change in the last 10,000 years is the desiccation of what is now the Sahara desert.  Prior to as recent as 3000 B.C., the South Central Sahara region in Africa was a humid lake savanna.  It was home to a thriving culture of ancient humans known as the Tenerians and before them, the Kiffians.  The occupation of this area by these two peoples occurred continuously from around 7700 B.C. to the drying of the Sahara in 2500 B.C..

This RARE grinding mill and rubbing stone set comes from the enigmatic Neolithic people of the Tenerian Culture of the South Central Sahara Desert.  Acquired from the original French collector who ran expeditions to the region in the 1960's and 70's, he found very few grinding mills like this over the history of his travels.  The small round basin and spherical rubbing stone are made of vesicular basalt.  The mill top grinding face has a concave surface that is polished smooth from use, while the slightly rounded base on the underside, is course from the natural roughness of the stone.  The rubbing stone is also made of a denser and darker vesicular basalt that is of spherical form with two flattened rubbing surfaces from use.  This rubbing stone also shows a spectacular glossy desert varnish patina from the wind and minerals of long term desert exposure. 

Because of its small nature, it is highly likely this mill was used to grind up substances that were precious and limited.  Pigments for body art or rock art, as well as medicinal or even hallucinogenic substances could have been formulated with a mill like this.  Both mill and rubbing stone are in perfect original condition.  Original minerals and patina are still impacted in the microscopic crevices of the stone.  Mere words cannot explain just how rare this object is. 

These mills are an iconic invention of all early Neolithic humans first transitioning from hunter / gatherer to a sedentary society.  This is an essential centerpiece of any collection of this Neolithic culture as this is what the Neolithic was all about - PREPARING food and other substances from cultivated / domesticated crops instead of relying on gathering naturally-occurring plants for food.  It was the first time in human history when people no longer needed to move with their resource, instead staying in one area and building a community.  Objects like these indicate a sedentary life since their transportation would have not been practical.

HISTORY

On a dinosaur fossil-hunting expedition in 2000 by a team of scientific explorers led by Paul Sereno, a paleodune and ancient lakebed site was discovered that yielded over 200 ancient burials of Kiffian and Tenerian people.  The scientific findings showed that this region was once a humid lake region that was home to these hunter-fisher-gatherer people.  The area became known as the "Green Sahara" for its once fertile and habitable landscape.  Noted paleontologist, Dr. Paul Sereno, famous for other Saharan dinosaur discoveries, shot into the archaeological spotlight with his discovery of the ancient lakebed cemetery at Gobero in Niger in the year 2000.  Interred in the many burials were numerous stone tools, ceramics, shells, beads and bone harpoons typical for the lifestyle of these ancient people of the Green Sahara.

In the final Pleistocene and early Holocene Periods around 10,000 years ago, the South Central Sahara Desert was once a highly favorable environment for hunters, gatherers and pastoralists.  Freshwater lakes existed between the dunes in what is now the Tenere region, Lake Chad was eight times its current size, the highlands supported Mediterranean forest trees, and a diverse variety of both large and small fauna flourished there.  The slow drying out process of the Sahara, began 7,000 years ago and ended 4500 years ago resulting in the barren conditions that exist to this day.  As we progress through time from the end of the Pleistocene towards the end of the Neolithic Period there, we see humans relying more on meat from raised animals as opposed to hunted animals that once roamed wild in the formerly Green Sahara.