Herodotus described the Garamantians as nomadic herders and date farmers occupying Libya's Fezzan region, possibly from 1000 BC onward. He also wrote about the mysterious Atarantians, who lived near salt springs, cursed the sun, and reportedly never dreamed. Both peoples were linked to Mount Atlas.
Herodotus account of Garamantians and nameless Atarantians
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Key facts
- Herodotus described the Garamantians as a nomadic people occupying the Sahara Desert and Libya
- Garamantians believed present in the Fezzan region as far back as 1,000 BC
- Garamantians first appeared in written record in the fifth century BC
- According to Herodotus, Garamantians herded cattle, farmed dates, and hunted Ethiopian cave dwellers using four-horse chariots
- The Atarantians were described as nameless people dwelling around natural springs and pillars of salt
- Atarantians cursed the sun and were said to eat nothing that has life and have no dreams
- They were named after Mount Atlas (Africa), described as the pillar of the heavens whose summit was perpetually cloud-covered
Site mentioned
Sources
The Garamantes and Trans-Saharan Enterprise in ...jstor.org
by RCC Law · 1967 · Cited by 130 — The Garamantes are in the Fezzan. Herodotus locates the Garamantes ten days' journey from Audjila, which is about half the actual distance, and thirty days ...
Who were the Garamantes? - by Sam Matey-Costesammatey.substack.com
Herodotus describes them as eating “snakes and other creeping things” and their speech as like “the squeaking of bats.”
Garamantesen.wikipedia.org
Herodotus includes the Garamantes in his description of the ancient Libyan tribes, describing them as "a very great nation" who herded cattle and farmed dates.
Garama: an ancient civilisation in the Central Saharaworld-archaeology.com
Herodotus, the Greek historian and ethnographer of the 5th century BC, reported that the Garamantes spread humus over salty ground to ...
Libyan Garamantes | Anthropology | Research Startersebsco.com
The Garamantes were an ancient people who inhabited the Sahara Desert from around 500 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. They lived in three large cities—the capital of Germa ( ...
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