Sahara, climate and societies of the past.

8,000 years ago, people lived in what is now the Sahara Desert, surrounded by lakes, rivers and a luxuriant landscape populated by elephants, giraffes and hippos. Then the climate changed. And people had to adapt. But they have left us invaluable evidence of these climatic changes of the past: the rock paintings and engravings of the Sahara, a veritable comic strip that tells us how these human communities coped with this climate change and the consequences for their economic, social and cultural life.

  • Philippe Axell
    Director
  • Philippe Axell
    Producer
  • Max Schvoerer
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Climate change
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 10, 2008
  • Country of Origin:
    Belgium
  • Country of Filming:
    Algeria, France, Morocco
  • Language:
    English, French
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • ICRONOS, 11ème Festival International du Film Archéologique
    Bordeaux
    France
    October 16, 2008
    Special Mention of the Jury
  • 10ème Festival du Film d'Archéologie d'Amiens
    Amiens
    France
    March 27, 2010
    Special Mention of the Jury
Director Biography - Philippe Axell

A Belgian film maker for the past 40 years, Philippe Axell’s documentaries have been broadcast around the world and have received numerous international awards both in Europe and in the United States.
Amongst his awarded films are: The Mystery of the Lesse River (1991), The Jewels of the Dark (1993), Underground Treasures (1998), Journey into the Earth (2000), The Island of the Phoenix (2002), Sagalassos, the forgotten City (2003), The Last Romans (2007), Sahara, Climate and Societies of the Past (2008), Vallus, The teeth of the Earth (2021).

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