The UNESCO Libyan Valleys Survey 1979–1981: Palaeoeconomy and Environmental Archaeology in the Pre-Desert

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Abstract
Three seasons of intensive survey in the central Tripolitanian pre-desert, primarily in the regions of the Wadis Sofeggin and Zem Zem, have provided a new basis for the study of pre-desert cultures. Not only have hundreds of new sites been discovered, but the combination of environmental and geomorphological studies with archaeological survey is now providing important information about the underlying mechanisms which supported them. An increasing settlement density and social complexity can be identified in the Romano–Libyan period together with the development of intensive farming and elaborate irrigation systems. There is little evidence for significant climatic change to account for this increased settlement intensity or for its subsequent decline. The explanation for this must probably be sought in a complex relationship between social organisation, population change, and the agricultural system, and its impact on the environment.

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