Some stone monuments of Spanish Sahara, Mauritania and the extreme south of Morocco - article ; n°2 ; vol.44, pg 99-111

Mark Milburn

Description

Journal de la Société des Africanistes - Année 1974 - Volume 44 - Numéro 2 - Pages 99-111
13 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: JOURNAL_DE_LA_SOCIETE_DES_AFRICANISTES
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1974
• Nombre de lectures: 121
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

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Mark Milburn
Some stone monuments of Spanish Sahara, Mauritania and the
extreme south of Morocco
In: Journal de la Société des Africanistes. 1974, tome 44 fascicule 2. pp. 99-111.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Milburn Mark. Some stone monuments of Spanish Sahara, Mauritania and the extreme south of Morocco. In: Journal de la
Société des Africanistes. 1974, tome 44 fascicule 2. pp. 99-111.
doi : 10.3406/jafr.1974.1751
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/jafr_0037-9166_1974_num_44_2_1751J. de la Soc. des Africanistes
XLIV, 2, 1974, p. 9911 1.
SOME STONE MONUMENTS OF SPANISH SAHARA,
MAURITANIA AND THE EXTREME SOUTH
OF MOROCCO
PAR
Mark MILBURN
The object of this report is to draw attention to various constructions seen during
several different expeditions, especially to those possibly not observed by previous
writers during their extensive studies of these regions.
The activities were of necessity restricted to observation and measurement only.
No excavation was attempted.
I sould like to thank Professors The Monod and G. Souville for their invaluable
help and encouragement ; Mr James Swauger for his information on dolmen sites ;
Mr Charles Freeman, who initially drew and described most of the sites in Spanish
Sahara ; Frau I Kôbel-Wettlauffer for her help in the field and for her drawings.
The chance to carry out field studies in Spanish Sahara is owed almost entirely to
the generous material aid and facilities provided by my friends Major Fernando
Labajos Hernandez, Captain Fernando Carranza and Don Guillermo Diaz Santiago.
The terminology employed by non-qualified persons will clearly leave much to be
desired ; in some cases French or Spanish words are used when their respective Eng
lish equivalents are unknown. Degrees magnetic are used for all compass bearings.
Following the first expedition, in September 1972, to Spanish Sahara, certain
points were noted as being broadly relevant to the area covered ; these were later
borne in mind, with most encouraging results.
It was seen, for instance, that some of the magnificent two or three storey chou-
chet constructions within Spanish territory appeared to be largely intact — after
allowing for the depredations caused by the passage of time — while in Mauritania
and Morocco almost all had been pillaged or roughly excavated.
Secondly, the presence of crude modern « Carvings » in a given area often suggested
the presence of much older work, hunting scenes, symbols, domestic animals and
wild life such as gazelles, ostriches, rhinos and elephants. In Mauritania and Morocco
these are often missing, apart from a few scattered traces ; within Spanish territory
many have already disappeared. Indeed it is to be wondered how the archaeologists
of ten thousand years hence will classify non-indigenous carvings found among the
ruins of European cities. .
100 SOCIÉTÉ DES AFRICANISTES
The laja or flag-stone monuments are often built in places where there are rock-
carvings and/or many silex implements or flakes ; thus the presence of one of these
three phenomena is a guide to the likely presence of at least one of the others.
Spanish Sahara.
Site SA il (cf. Monod : p. 25, « Tombes quadrangulaires à chambres » (5). Fig. 1.)
In the area of Guelta Zemmur and close to the airfield, the most impressive of a
group is a large square edifice at the SW edge of a low ridge running N and S, below
others of square shape. There are mounds of sand on N, W and S sides, about 2 m
from edifice in each case and presumed to be man-made. 5.50 m away from E wall,
in sand, is a standing stone 81 cm high.
Lengths of the walls are N 6.50 m, E 7.70 m. Diameter E-W 7.50 m. Average height
of walls, as far as these can be considered accurate on account of sand, is about
95 cm. In the E wall is a doorway (or possibly the remains of an annexe) whose ave
rage width is 80 cm; distance from SE corner of monument to S edge of this opening
is 3 m. Leading from the opening there is an interior chamber measuring 1.90 m E-
W and 1.25 m N-S, which appears to have been originally roofed, totally or in part,
there being some large « laj as » at centre around orifice in « roof ». Beyond a dividing
ОС
Fig. 1. — Plan of Site SA ir and view of Fig, 2. — Site SA 2 showing scatter of
stones to east of monument. tomb from south-east. Below is a rectang
ular monument found by Nowak (1971) at
Leyuad, Rio de Ого, with fallen menhir
2 m long. SOME STONE MONUMENTS OF SPANISH SAHARA IOI
wall on the W side of this chamber starts another, measuring about 1.45 m E-W and
1.60 m N-S. Large « lajas » partly roof this chamber too. Distance between adjacent
edges of the chambers is about 1 m and a good deal of sand makes the depth in
each case impossible to determine without excavating.
There are other building close by, all smaller, but conforming to the same general
pattern, of which a detailed examination was not made ; one, at least, seemed to
have been circular, although not of the « chouchet » type (cf. Monod, fig. 15, 16, 18).
We could observe no evidence, such as quantities of extra stones lying around the
outside of the buildings, to suggest that they might have been several stories high.
Nor is it clear what manner of sealing the tombs was used after burial.
Site SA 12.
Only 4 km away from the site above is a complex of apparent graves and standing
stones (highest 2.35 m) conforming in general pattern of irregularity to the larger
site at Oummat el Hamm. The standing stones are orientated 950, whereas those at
Oummat el Hamm, distant only some 150 km, run 6o°-24O°. We were inclined to
think that the standing stones may have been the first monuments and that the grave-
like constructions, or some of them, could have been added much later.
Site SA 2 (Fig. 2.).
Situated in the area known as Sidi Mulud, this site is in open ground in an other
wise deserted landscape, being composed of low hills with a oued between. It is with
the Western of these two hills that we shall concern ourselves, specifically with a
mound on top.
Measured N-S at ground level the mound seemed to be about 6 m long and 1.60 m
high. About 75 cm above the ground a rough circle of stones was built into the mound
itself, around the edge, although some stones were missing and the whole obscured,
in part, by loose sand. On the S side of the mound there appeared to be a rectangul
ar addition to the structure, made by two lines of stones running out from the edge
of the circle and at right angles to it. On the W side the line revealed a clear cons
truction, about 1.24 m long, running from the S side of the circle itself down to ground
level. The width of this protruding construction, as far as could be determined, was
about 1 m.
On the E side of the circle, a clear line of stones run for 40 cm, parallel to the
circle edge and 1.66 m from it ; at both ends of this line further lines joining it ran
back towards the circle, although not quite parallel to one another, apparently hitting
the circle edge at about 64 cm apart. The N side of the circle is very decayed, but
one may assume, from three positioned stones about 90 cm from its edge, again
parallel with it, that there was a similar construction here, as also on the W side
where only a small rise in the ground marks its presumed position.
To the E of the structure and about 4.50 m from its edge, a scatter of stones runs
for about 6 m ; from its curving nature it is probably related to the main structure,
although it certainly does not seem to have been a « croissant » (Monod, fig. 30).
From a careful examination of the only available photo taken of a rough and ruined
construction between Zag and Meseied, travelling on a track which appears to dea-
ture on no map and apparently some 94 km from the second village named, I believe 102 SOCIÉTÉ DES AFRICANISTES
that it might be similar to that described above, as far as can be seen ; I am indebted
to Sheikh Abdallah ar-R'Guibat for showing me this Moroccan site.
On both hills there are numerous rock carvings, the relation of those on the Western
hill to the struture described being one of extremely close proximity (4).
Site SA 3.
This area, Ben Sacca, was visited, as was that above described, primarily to look
at rock carvings. However a number of stone edifices were observed, notably the
following :
Structure II (cf. Monod, fig. 13). (Fig. 3.)
A much decayed circular structure built of stones piled in layers, about 1 m high
and 3 m in diameter. Inside the circle is a partly covered chamber, roughtly rectan
gular and 45 cm deep. It is faced internally on NW and SW sides by flag-stones
(laj as), being about 1.40 m long and 1 m across. The « floor » is dried sand or mud.
The chamber is covered, to the N by pebbles and packed earth ; and, to the S, it is
only partially this time by two large slabs of stone resting E-W across the
aperture.
On the SE side of the edifice are two large flattish stone blocks on end in the ground,
at right angles to, and adjoining the stone circle. (These are marked A and В on the
plan).
Both are about 1.40 m long and a