Bead - Niger - Neolithic grinding stone

The Sahara has yielded many of these Neolithic artefacts. Indeed, during this period (3000–9000 BC), the Sahara was not the vast desert we see today.

It was covered by areas of greenish grasslands rich in flora and fauna. Neolithic civilisations had settled there and were thriving, developing agriculture and hunting.

However, around 5000 BC, climate change rendered the area arid and gradually forced these civilisations to abandon what would become the Sahara Desert entirely and move towards the coast. This process of desertification was a lengthy one, unfolding over several thousand years.

Provenance: Jean-Michel Huguenin, Galerie Majestic, Paris 1960