Revue Belge de Philologie et d’Histoire / Belgisch Tijdschrift voor Filologie en Geschiedenis, 92, 2014, p. 103– 129 Cooperation, interaction and competition. The economy of pastoral nomadism in imperial Africa

This paper is the second part of a larger inquiry into the economics of itinerant pastoralism in the African provinces during the imperial period. The first part focused on the economic interaction between nomadic tribes and sedentary societies beyond the frontiers of the Roman empire. We there stressed the importance of these tribes in organizing a mediatory trade pattern, forging connections between Roman soldiers and civilians on the one hand and the sub-Saharan kingdoms on the other. (1) In this paper we shift the focus to the Roman area by analyzing the consequences of Roman hegemony and the progressive development of sedentarism and agriculture within the empire on the traditional nomadic economy. We argue that the Roman presence should not only be regarded as a predatory regime causing continuous competition for scarce resources, but also presented the migrant pastoralists with new economic opportunities which they duly recognized and tried to benefit from. Together the two papers provide a discussion of the various ways in which the installment of the imperial power structure altered the economy of pastoral tribes within as well as beyond the frontier. To offer a framework of reference, we first present a general introduction to the environmental determinants of modern and ancient nomadism in North Africa, and to the limitations of ancient sources for the study of itinerant pastoralism in the Roman period. The next section then discusses the various consequences of the presence of Roman society on the pastoral economy, distinguishing between factors restraining and stimulating economic interaction and exchange between nomads and sedentary people. A final section provides some general conclusions on the impact of Rome on North African nomadism and presents possible avenues for further research.

Nomadism and the North African environment in antiquity

Environment is a crucial factor in assessing the scale and nature of nomadism practiced in antiquity. The large variations in climate and elevation between the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the sun-burned rocks of the sandy North African desert therefore resulted in the establishment of various modes of nomadism.