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Presented here are some aspects of an archaeological investigation conducted in eastern Mauritania in the region of Dhar Nema, a south-eastern extension of the Oualata and Tichitt cliffs (Dhar). This evidence is presented with a focus on its environmental context. The escarpment of the Dhar, a specific geomorphological environment, provided a refuge geoecosystem that continued to supply water during the second part of the Holocene. During the period leading to the current aridity in the southern Sahara, the neolithic populations came there to seek refuge. Amongst more than 70 sites studied, six were chosen that each illustrate a different topographic and ecological context and the interactions of the populations with these. Their location corresponds to varied geological “accidents” oriented perpendicular to the escarpment and in direction of the Baten. In order to survive in this fragile environment during this warming period, the populations developed essential social and technical innovations. These sites have evidenced the characteristics of the evolution of a culture that existed from the 3rd millennium before our era, with notably a social organisation in villages as well as agricultural practices and animal husbandry, which developed from the commencement of their sedentarisation.

Le lac Faguibine est lié au complexe hydrologique du Delta intérieur du Niger au Mali. Un ancien défluent du lac, connu sous le nom de « canal de Sonni Ali », se prolonge vers l'ouest. Sur les dunes de sa rive nord, il y a de nombreux sites néolithiques tardifs et protohistoriques. La région a été densément occupée au moment où les crues du Niger alimentaient régulièrement le lac. La céramique abondante montre des affinités avec les faciès culturels néolithiques du Mema au Mali. Les poissons dominent les restes fauniques et caractérisent les sites de pêche périodiques, bien que les activités de chasse et d’élevage soient également attestées. Lake Faguibine is linked to the complex watersystem of the Niger Inland Delta in Mali. A former outlet, the “Sonni Ali channel”, extends westwards to the lake depression. Late Neolithic and Protohistoric sites are established on the dune field of its northern shore. The region was densely occupied at the time when the floods of the Niger were feeding the watercourse. The abundant ceramic shows affinities with the Late Neolithic cultural facies of the Mema in Mali. The remains of fish as the dominating fauna characterize sites of periodic fishing, although hunting and breeding activities are also established.