About Niger

The Sahara Desert

Ancient Climate

  • Sahara Desert was Once Lush and Populated: summarizes a study from the journal Science about climate changes in the ancient Sahara and how those changes affected the desert’s inhabitants. Please see the Reference Articles in the “People of the Green Sahara-Beginning Bookshelf” for the study itself.

Geologic Time

  • Information about the different epochs of geologic time, such as the Pleistocene and Holocene. The Pleistocene is commonly known as the Ice Age, and it lasted from 1.8 million years ago until 12,000 years ago. The Holocene began 12,000 years ago and still continues today. The skeletons found at Gobero lived between 9,000 and 6,000 years ago, during the Holocene.

Stone Tools and Ceramics

Information on stone tools and ceramics from the Neolithic Period of the Holocene, including artifacts from Tenerean culture like those found at Gobero.