The Rich Mythology and Megalithic Culture of the Ancient Berbers, Lords of the Desert

posted on: Jun 12, 2015

The Barbary Coast of North Africa was named after the Berbers, the nomadic people who inhabited the region west of the Nile Valley in north Africa. Called the Amazigh or Imazighen in antiquity (meaning “free humans” or “free men”), they are among the oldest inhabitants of the north Africa. Their rich mythology endured for thousands of years, eventually coming to influence the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians.
The history of the Berber people in northern Africa is extensive and diverse.  The Berbers are a large group of non-Arabic tribes, related by language and culture, inhabiting areas stretching from Egypt to the Canary Islands as well as regions south of the Sahara such as Niger and Mali.  Archaeologists have traced their origins to the Caspian culture, a North African people who date back more than 10,000 years.  Berber-speaking people have lived in North Africa since the earliest times and are first referenced by the Egyptians in 3,000 BC under the name Temehu.  Phoenician, Greeks and Romans texts also make reference to them.  Since prehistoric times, Berber lands have been a crossroad of peoples from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.  The Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, Spaniards, French, and Italians have invaded and ruled portions of the Berber homeland.  The Berbers have never experienced a unified political identity. There have been many Berber kingdoms and cultures existing alongside one another in various regions of North Africa and Spain, but never a unified “Berber empire”.  Throughout the centuries, Berbers have mixed with many ethnic groups, including Arabs and because of this, they have come to be identified more by linguistics instead race.  Their language is one of the oldest in the world and belongs to the African branch of the Afro-Asian language family, along with ancient Egyptian.

Source: www.ancient-origins.net