FEATURE ARTICLE
Ancient Lakes of the Sahara
The Sahara was once a savannah teeming with life. The story of how the climate changed, and how humans coped, is still being unraveled
The Sahara has not always been the arid, inhospitable place that it
is today. Geological studies reveal that it has experienced
considerably wetter periods, lasting for thousands of years, when
the desert turned to savannah and lakes provided water for people
and animals. The vast majority of these ancient lakes are now just
dry relics, but they remain fertile sites for archaeological
investigation. The authors and their colleagues have mounted
multiple expeditions to the Libyan desert, using satellite imagery
for guidance. Their work illuminates the geological history of the
area and shows the ways in which ancient inhabitants coped with the
changing climate.
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