The term “Libyan” encompasses, in fact, a variety of peoples and lifestyles living not only in the regions west of the Nile Valley, but also inside Egypt itself, particularly in Middle Egypt and the Western Delta. This situation is reminiscent of the use of other “ethnic” labels, such as “Nubian,” heavily connoted with notions such as ethnic homogeneity, separation of populations across borders, and opposed lifestyles. In fact, economic complementarity and collaboration explain why Nubians and Libyans crossed the borders of Egypt and settled in the land of the pharaohs, to the point that their presence was especially relevant in some periods and regions during the late 3rd and early 2nd millennium BCE. Pastoralism was just but one of their economic pillars, as trading activities, gathering, supply of desert goods (including resins, minerals, and vegetal oils) and hunting also played an important role, at least for some groups or specialized segments of a particular social group. While Egyptian sources emphasize conflict and marked identities, particularly when considering “rights of use” over a given area, collaboration was also crucial and beneficial for both parts. Finally, the increasing evidence about trade routes used by Libyans points to alternative networks of circulation of goods that help explain episodes of warfare between Egypt and Libyan populations for their control.

实际上，“利比亚”一词涵盖了不仅生活在尼罗河谷以西的地区，而且还生活在埃及内部，尤其是在埃及中部和西部三角洲的各种民族和生活方式。这种情况让人想起其他“种族”标签的使用，例如“努比亚人”（Nubian），这些标签在概念上有很多含义，例如种族同质性，跨界人口隔离和反对的生活方式。实际上，经济上的互补与合作解释了努比亚人和利比亚人为何越过埃及边界并定居在法老王的土地上，以至于它们的存在在公元前3世纪晚期和2世纪初的某些时期和地区特别重要。。放牧只是其经济支柱之一，因为贸易活动，收集，供应沙漠商品（包括树脂，矿物和植物油）和狩猎也起着重要作用，至少对于特定社会群体的某些群体或专业群体而言团体。尽管埃及的消息来源强调冲突和明显的身份，特别是在考虑给定区域的“使用权”时，但合作对于这两个方面也是至关重要且有益的。最后，关于利比亚人使用贸易路线的越来越多的证据表明，货物流通的替代网络有助于解释埃及和利比亚民众之间为控制他们而发生的战争事件。