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Present-day Egyptians are also related to Moroccan Berbers and this supports an ancient Saharan origin for part of the present-day Mediterraneans, particularly for the Arabic-speaking ones (also Algerians) and also for the older substratum of Mediterranean people.
Who inhabited North Africa first?
The Maghreb or western North Africa on the whole is believed to have been inhabited by Berbers since at least 10,000 B.C., while the eastern part of North Africa or the Nile Valley has mainly been home to the Egyptians.
What is the traditional Berber religion?
Traditional Berber religion. Many ancient Berber beliefs were developed locally, whereas others were influenced over time through contact with other traditional African religions (such as the Ancient Egyptian religion ), or borrowed during antiquity from the Punic religion, Judaism, Iberian mythology, and the Hellenistic religion.
What is the origin of the term Berber?
The term berber — originally a derogatory name (cf. Gr. barbaroi, Eng. barbarians ) applied by outsiders — designates the rather heterogeneous, indigenous population of North Africa extending from the Siwa Oasis in the western Egyptian desert to Morocco, Mauretania, and even as far as the great bend of the Niger River.
Who were the three major groups of the Berbers?
The grand tribal identities of Berber antiquity (then often known as ancient Libyans) were said to be three (roughly, from west to east): the Mauri, the Numidians near Carthage, and the Gaetulians. The Mauri inhabited the far west (ancient Mauretania, now Morocco and central Algeria).
Are the Berber pyramids related to the great Egyptian pyramids?
He tried to relate the pyramidal Berber tombs with the great Egyptian pyramids on the basis of the etymological and historical data. The best known Berber pyramids are the 19-meter pre-Roman Numidian pyramid of the Medracen and the 30-meter ancient Mauretanian pyramid.