The colonial image of endemic political and economic antagonism between nomadic and sedentary groups in the context of Roman North Africa should be discarded. Likewise, the rigid adherence to symbiosis and cooperation in more recent studies is based on a rather one-sided reading of anthropological literature. For the analysis of literary, epigraphic and archaeological sources, supported by insights derived from anthropology, shows that political and economic integration trajectories of nomads were much more complex, diverse, and dynamic.

Key words: Nomads, integration and insurgence, North Africa, Roman imperialism, coexistence patterns, trans-Saharan trade, clio-anthropology