1505: Conquest of Sahara - Scroll Down for more details


Source: The amazing video by Ollie Bye (History)

Warning: The following content has been generated using LLMs. Please double check any facts presented here because LLMs get things wrong all the time.

"The Conquest of the Sahara (1505 BCE) - Myth or Lost History?"

Content:

The year 1505 BCE falls within the Late Bronze Age, a period marked by the dominance of powerful civilizations such as Egypt (during the early New Kingdom), the Hittites, and the Minoans. However, the notion of a "Conquest of the Sahara" in this era presents a historical puzzle.

The Sahara in 1505 BCE

By the second millennium BCE, the Sahara was already undergoing severe desertification, transforming from a once-greener region into the vast desert we know today. Nomadic Berber tribes, such as the ancestors of the Garamantes, inhabited its fringes, while the central desert was largely uninhabitable. There is no recorded evidence of a large-scale military conquest of the Sahara during this time.

Possible Misinterpretations

  1. Egyptian Expeditions:
    • Egypt, under pharaohs like Thutmose I (c. 1506-1493 BCE), was expanding south into Nubia, not west into the Sahara.
    • Trade routes existed with Libyan and Saharan tribes, but no known military campaigns targeted the deep desert.
  2. Myth or Lost Civilization?
    • Some fringe theories speculate about lost Saharan kingdoms, but no archaeological or textual evidence supports a conquest in 1505 BCE.
    • The Garamantes (who emerged much later, around 500 BCE) were known for their desert warfare, but they postdate this period.
  3. Misdated Event?
    • If "1505 BCE" is a typographical error, later Saharan conflicts (such as Roman-Garamante wars) might be the intended subject.

Conclusion

As of current historical knowledge, there was no recorded "Conquest of the Sahara" in 1505 BCE. The Sahara remained a sparsely populated, inhospitable region during this time, with no evidence of a major military campaign. If new archaeological discoveries emerge, this narrative may change—but for now, this event remains either a misinterpretation or a mystery lost to time.

Would you like to explore related topics, such as Egyptian expansion or the Garamantes?


More events