EnvironmentNorth Africa
The Sahara dries out
A continent is cut in two, and people are pressed towards the rivers
See it on the timeline →In depth
The drying created a barrier that for thousands of years separated the Mediterranean world from sub-Saharan Africa more effectively than any sea. Only with the camel, around 300 CE, was it regularly crossed. The consequence still shapes how history is told: North Africa is often counted with the Mediterranean, the rest of the continent as something else.
For children
The rains over the Sahara failed, and the grass turned to sand. The lakes vanished, the animals moved south, and people had to leave. Many ended up along the Nile — where, shortly after, they built one of the world's first kingdoms.
Connects to
Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org