Archaeology of the Libyan Desert

Wanyanga and an Archaeological Reconnaissance of the South-West Libyan Desert. The British
Expedition 1957 by A. J. Arkell
Review by: R. Mauny
The Journal of African History, Vol. 5, No. 3 (1964), pp. 458-459
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/179981 .
Accessed: 11/03/2013 05:13

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Cambridge University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The
Journal of African History.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:13:56 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
458 REVIEWS
application for a Royal Charter. These verbal undertakings,reported by the
missionary C. D. Helm-the official interpreter at the negotiations-were
published by V. W. Hiller in his edition of Rudd's Concession diary in I949.
There are furtherinaccuraciesin the discussion of the Lippert land concession.
Perhaps the most serious shortcoming of the book lies in the dearth of
informationon the financialactivitiesof Rhodes. The many allegationsof under-
hand share-pushingthat have been made against him are dealt with by almost
completely ignoring them. Admittedly, many of his share dealings are still
shrouded in mystery, but it is surprisingto find omitted the well-documented
deceptionwherebythe investorsin the British South Africa Company,as well as
the Britishgovernmentat the time that it grantedthe Charter,were led to believe
that the Companywas the owner of the Rudd Concession.There were shocked
comments, but a feeling of helplessness at the Colonial Office when it was
discoveredthat the Rudd Concession had remainedin the hands of the United
ConcessionsCompanyand was only to be transferredat great cost to the British
South Africa Companyand great profit to Rhodes.
The moral of this biography, despite the more soundly based and deeply
argued later chaptersby C. M. Woodhouse, is that a satisfactorylife of Rhodes
can only be written from a much wider range of sources. Since Rhodes's own
papers are so lean, it is to be hoped that the papers of importantassociateslike
Beit, the Rothschilds, Sir Hercules Robinson, Shippard, and many others, will
eventually become available. The British South Africa Company's surviving
records in the Southern Rhodesian archives could certainly be used to good
effect by any future biographer. Rhodeswas a single-mindedmanipulatorof the
press and public opinion, and many of the things done in his name have probably
still to be discovered. The ducal figures who gilded the Home Board of the
British South Africa Company in London had their complement in a host of
lesser figureswho flourishedin the semi-lawlessfrontiersociety of South Africa.
Their activities too need close investigationif the full story of Rhodes is ever
to be told.
UniversityCollege RICHARD BROWN
Salisbury

ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE LIBYAN DESERT

Wanyangaand an archaeologicalreconnaissance of the South-WestLibyandesert.

The British expeditionI957. By A. J. ARKELL.London: Oxford University
Press, I964. Pp. iX+24, 58 pIs., i pl. en couleurs, 23 figs. 63s.

L'auteur, qui fut pendant des annees Commissioner for Archaeology du

Gouvernement du Sudan 'a Khartoum, est bien connu des prehistoriens et
protohistoriensafricains. II est de ceux qui, travaillantsur le long passe de la
vallee du Nil, cherchent 'a le replacer dans le contexte africain. C'est cette
curiositequi l'ameneraentre autres'aexplorerle Darfour,oiul'on sait maintenant,
grace at lui, que les ruines d'Ain Fara sont d'origine nubienne.
II n'etait donc pas etonnantde le voir susciter cette mission vers ce lac en voie
de disparition, bien connu des Tchadiens: Wanyanga, que nous appelons
OuniangaKebir, et l'Ennedi.

This content downloaded on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:13:56 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REVIEWS 459
Cette expedition comprenait plusieurs chercheurs, un paleontologiste, un
zoologue; l'auteur en etait l'archeologue. Le but poursuivi par ce dernier etait
une reconnaissancede la prehistoirede ce pays, qui pouvait fournirla reponse a
plusieurs problemes non encore resolus dans la vallee du Nil, entre autres
l'origine des herminettes 'a gouge connues depuis le Fayoum et Khartoum
jusqu'au Tenere, et l'industrie liee aux mines d'amazonite, d'oiu provenaient
sans doute les perles bleu-verts du neolithique egyptien, faites avec ce mineral.
L'ouvrage d'A. J. Arkell donne la succession des sites visites, en indiquant
le materielqui y fut trouve, les conditions de decouvertede ce materiel,la faune
(des vertebres 'ala malacologie) et tous les details utiles. L'illustration en est
splendide, tant figures que photographies.
Les principaux sites etudies sont: Tekro (coquillages d'eau douce, poterie
neolithique), Ounianga Kebir (Acheuleen, Sangoen, Aterien, Neolithique),
OuniangaSerir (Acheuleen, <(Mousterien >,ou Sangoen evolue), Gouro (pebble
tools, Neolithique), Archei (faune relique: crocodile; peintures rupestres); la
mer de sable de Rebiana (paleolithique superieur), Eghei Zumma (mine
d'amazonite),Wadi Zirmei (gravuresrupestresd'epoque bovidienne).
Le bilan archeologique de la mission est d'autant plus imfportantque cette
region est encore relativementpeu connue au point de vue prehistorique,malgre
les travauxde M. Dalloni, de P. Huard et ceux, en cours, de G. Bailloud.
Si l'on ne peut affirmerque la Pebble culture a ete retrouvee, par contre le
paleolithique'abifaces (Acheuleen), et fait tres important,peut-etre le Sangoen,
ont ete deceles en plusieurs points. Le Mousterien (ou Sangoen evolue) et
l'Aterien, puis le Neolithique leur font suite, prouvant que la region autour des
grands lacs fut habitee 'aplusieurs reprises au cours de la prehistoire.
L'auteur (et le Professeur C. Arambourg)me pardonneront,je l'espere, de
ne pas les suivre dans l'identificationqu'ils font (pls. 54-55) des Megaceroides
graves de l'Wadi Zirmei. Tout comme Th. Monod et P. Huard, j'estime que
nous avons affaireici 'ade simples Bovides 'ajugulaire et 'adisque frontal.
L'ouvrage d'A. J. Arkell vient 'ason heure: il comble une lacune importante
de nos connaissances concernant la prehistoire saharienne: apres les volumes
consacres a la vallee du Nil (Early Khartoum,Shaheinabd'A. J. Arkell), au
Maghreb et au Sahara algerien (Prdhistoirede l'Afriquedu Nord de L. Balout;
Recherches prdhistoriquesdansl'Ahaggar... de H. J. Hugot), au Tenere (Missions
Berliet-Tine're'-Tchad),et en attendantla publicationdes travaux de G. Bailloud,
il etait necessaireque le Saharatchadien fasse, lui aussi, l'objet d'une etude par
un prehistorienchevronne. Le present ouvrage atteint pleinement ce but.
Sorbonne R. MAUNY

CLASSIFYING ROCK ART

The Rock Art of South Africa. By A. R. WILLCOX.Johannesburg: Nelson, I963.

Pp. 96, 37 colour, 24 black-and-white plates. ?4 ios. (South Africa, R.9).

The prehistoric rock art of South Africa ranks with that of western Europe and
the Sahara as some of the finest in the world. Scientific literature on the South
African art extends over two centuries, but it is only since Stow's copies of

This content downloaded on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:13:56 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions