Faris Musa joined the panel on In Our Time to re-evaluate the history of the Garamantes, an ancient Saharan civilization that challenges traditional Eurocentric views of antiquity.
During the discussion, Faris Musa argued that these ancient peoples are due for a modern reckoning, asserting that "throughout the ancient N-N-North Africa, and the Garamantes are one of those. And I suspect that they are gonna become more and more relevant as this phenomenon that's kind of fermenting is going to grow."
Host Misha Glenny steered the conversation toward their economic prowess, prompting Musa with: "Faras, um, from what we've heard so far, it sounds as though the Garamantes were very sophisticated traders. What do we know about their trade?" Musa responded by detailing their surprisingly wide geographical reach, explaining that historical texts suggest "the Garamantes are not actually as far away from the coast as w-we think or know they are."
As historians continue to dig into the Saharan sands, expect the legacy of the Garamantes to become a central battleground for redefining ancient trade and power dynamics.