Germa Bèyènè

Germa (), known in ancient times as Garama, is an archaeological site in Libya. It was the capital of the Garamantian Kingdom.

The Garamantes were a Saharan people living in the Fezzan in the northeastern Sahara Desert. Garamantian power climaxed during the second and the third centuries AD, often in conflict with the Roman Empire to the north. Garama had a population of some four thousand and another six thousand living in villages within a 5 km radius.

The Garamantes often conducted raids across Rome's African frontier, the ''Limes Tripolitanus'', and retreated to the safety of the desert. In 203, Roman Emperor Septimius Severus launched a campaign deep into the Sahara and captured Garama, but he soon abandoned it.

While some sources assert that the city was conquered by Uqba ibn Nafi in 669 AD, other sources negate the claim that the city was conquered by Uqba ibn Nafi, suggesting instead that a peace treaty was concluded following a conflict between him and the Kanem Empire.

Archaeological work at Germa has most recently been conducted by Prof. David Mattingly's Fazzan Project, which has continued the work of Charles Daniels and Mohammed Ayoub. The Fazzan Project has published four volumes based on its work, titled '' The Archaeology of Fazzān''. Digital versions of these books have been made freely available under a policy of open access by the Society for Libian Studies. In his book, W.F.G. Lacroix attempts to explain the name 'Garamantes' and associates it with certain ethnic group based solely on the similarity of names, without providing adequate explanation of their meanings. Even his interpretation is flawed, and the associations he draws are historically inaccurate, as the ethnic group he references are not, in fact, the Garamantes. Furthermore, his explanation of the name’s origin is disputed, as he fails to provide a clear or substantiated account of its etymology—specifically, what the name means and how it came to be associated with the group he mentions, particularly concerning how and when the group he associates with the Garamantes acquired their name. Historical evidence suggests that the name was previously used to refer to entirely different ancient peoples, and neither the earlier nor the currently associated group are direct descendants of the Garamantes, and the book has been used in a misleading and exploitative manner, particularly by those he associated with the Garamantes—namely, the Kara group of tribes of the Goran (Toubou) derive their name from the Kiri or Kri region in southern Borkou, near the Djourab Desert. Historically, Goran (Toubou) groups lived in Kiri, which was once called Kara, before the current Kara community. They have also relied on questionable (fake) colonial-era sources, such as the works of Jean Chapelle is widely regarded as misleading and filled with harmful inaccuracies—particularly within the communities of Borkou, Chad. His work, which fails to adhere to the principles of truth and credibility, has misled readers on various topics, causing significant confusion and a distortion of historical facts, especially among the Toubou communities in the Borkou region, as a direct consequence, people are suffering from the loss and distortion of their history, as Chapelle’s work contributed to the erasure of their true heritage. As a result, Chapelle and several other colonial authors stand condemned as injudicious writers, and the world would have been highly satisfied if a hundred such had perished.

Herodotus recorded the name Garamantes, which is derived from their city, Garama—hence the name Garama—ntes. In the Toubou (Dazaga-Tedaga) language, this literally means “sons of the speakers of the Ga language.” The original name for the Toubou—Daza-Teda—is Ga, a term that refers both to the people themselves, known as the Ga people, and to their language was called Ga, which includes both the Dazaga and Tedaga dialects. This designation is still used today by the Toubou to refer to themselves and their language as Ga serving as a unifying people. The terms Daza and Teda emerged after the Goran had settled in both the northern and southern regions, with the southern groups becoming known as the Daza and the northern groups—who branched off from the Daza—becoming known as the Teda by the time of the Kanem Kingdom's establishment around the 7th century. The name 'Toubou' later emerged. Ga is the root name referring to both the people and their language. The name Garamantes can be broken down as Ga (the people and their language) + ra (speakers) + ma (sons) + ntes (a suffix). Similarly, the Toubou dialects—Dazaga and Tedaga—both share the suffix ''-ga'', reflecting their common origin. Linguistically, Tedaga is considered a dialect of Dazaga that developed due to geographical isolation and external influences from neighboring groups, rather than being a separate language. Although the Teda later developed their own distinct identity, they remain culturally aligned with the Daza. These dialects are variations of a single language originally called Ga, which developed distinct forms due to differences in their environments. The name Goran is actually derived from Garama. Over time, through the influence of Arabic speakers, the original name Garama was altered to Goran.

See also

*Toubou ( Goran)
*Tuareg

References

External links

Germa - Lexiorient

Toby Savage, photographer

Archaeological sites in Libya
History of Fezzan
Former populated places in Libya
History of the Sahara
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